While Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight is set to launch Marvel Studios' 2022 slate in March, the MCU's first theatrical film is the long-awaited Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Directed by the original Spider-Man trilogy director Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange 2 features a stacked ensemble cast, including Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, Rachel McAdams's Christine Palmer, and the introduction of Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez.
Ever since fans got their first glimpse of what the film has in store for them during Spider-Man: No Way Home's post-credits scene, they've eagerly awaited the next trailer for the Multiversal sequel, especially in light of the sequel's reshoots and intriguing rumors, including that of the X-Men cameos.
Surprisingly, the highly-anticipated trailer gave fans more than what they were expecting, including confirmation of another rumor involving a prior MCU villain.
Ultron Returns in Doctor Strange 2
To kick off Super Bowl LVI, Marvel Studios delivered with a massive trailer Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirming the presence of Ultron sentries as reported by The Direct.
Ultron, which was created by Tony Stark and voiced by James Spader, and the super bot's sentries haven't been seen in live-action since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron; however, they did appear in 2021's What If...? animated series on Disney+.
In this scene from the trailer, it appears that the sentries are escorting Strange through a mysterious facility to face a council that appears to include Patrick Stewart's Professor X.
The Illuminati Lives in the Age of Ultron?
Where there's smoke, there's fire; and where there's Ultron, there's Tony Stark.
In this Multiversal-themed sequel packed with variants, could this Age of Ultron reference be hinting at a Tony Stark variant? If so, will theater-going audiences see Tom Cruise, who was originally considered for Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man role, make his MCU debut?
As to the council those Ultron bots are escorting Strange to, it's possible that this trailer is introducing The Illuminati.
In the comics, The Illuminati consists of Tony Stark, T'Challa, Professor X, Namor the Submariner, and Doctor Strange. While Professor X is seemingly confirmed, it's hard to know whether Marvel Studios will stick to the comics or pursue their own ensemble for the powerful collective.
Still, the fact that Ultron exists in the Multiverse - and apart from what fans saw in What If...? - is intriguing; and like the film itself, the super bot's role presents limitless possibilities.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness makes its big-screen debut on May 6, 2022.
