The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.With the introduction of the multiverse through Marvel Cinematic Universe installments like Loki on Disney Plus and Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have begun looking forward to seeing variants of characters they love, or cameos from characters they haven’t seen much of on the screen. That’s exactly one of the aspects of the mutliversal storyline that drew so many people to Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
While multiple versions of Stephen Strange were introduced, the audience also met another version of Wanda Maximoff and Christine Palmer from Earth-838. That version of Earth allowed for a few more cameos from different versions of Marvel characters the audience has already seen as well as the MCU debut of more. Thanks to the lineup of the Illuminati, the movie had the chance to, however briefly, redeem certain characters in the eyes of the audience.
The Illuminati’s Lineup Of Heroes
The Illuminati had a pretty great lineup for the audience to enjoy. It included a variant of Baron Karl Mordo, X-Men leader Professor Charles Xavier, Captain Marvel variant Maria Rambeau, Captain Carter variant Peggy Carter, Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards, and Inhuman Blackagar Boltagon - also known as Black Bolt.
Fans who wished for more Maria or Peggy in their respective projects might not have gotten as much time with them here as they wanted, but their inclusion as heroic versions of their characters, one of which was already seen in Marvel’s What If…? means that there are still more versions like them out in the multiverse. The same is true for Reed Richards, who fans have been eagerly anticipating in the MCU’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie. Having the hero played by popular fancast choice John Krasinski only added fuel to the fire.
One of the most interesting options in the Illuminati, however, is actually Black Bolt. As the king of the Inhumans, he was a member of the group in their comic book lineup at times as well, but with the Inhumans series and Agents Of SHIELD being the only recent Marvel projects to feature the Inhumans, many fans thought they would no longer be a part of the main MCU. Even Kamala Khan, an Inhuman in the comics, is seeing a change to her powers for her upcoming Ms. Marvel series.
Black Bolt Is The King Of The Inhumans
While Inhumans aren’t given an explanation in Multiverse Of Madness, Black Bolt is referred to as the “keeper of the Terrigen mists,” which is the substance that activates abilities in Inhumans.
Previously, for the members of the MCU audience who did tune into the short-lived series, Black Bolt was stranded on Earth while his brother made a play for his throne. Members of this royal family searched for him on Earth, but that included his wife Medusa without her abilities, and Medusa’s little sister, who was more caught up with her own potential human romance than she was searching for her brother-in-law.
The series fell flat for a lot of viewers thanks to pacing issues and some of the most visually interesting powers, like Medusa’s hair, being largely absent from the show. Black Bolt also wasn’t allowed any shows of strength. He spent the story as a lost fish out of water before his power as a king or confidence in his supersonic voice was ever established. In fact, he was more afraid of his powers than comfortable with them.
How This Version Of Black Bolt Is Different
Anson Mount, who starred as Black Bolt in the ABC series, reprises the role in the Earth-838 version for the movie. His costume has been updated to be more reflective of the comics, complete with wings and a tuning fork. While he’s initially the same stoic version of the ABC series character during his introduction, there are subtle differences in the character here that allow for Black Bolt’s redemption from the previously lackluster project.
This version of Black Bolt is clearly more confident. Mount gets to offer up a few smirks and rolled eyes that indicate he’s used to being in this position - of helping the Illuminati members dole out justice or punishment. Stephen Strange warning of the Scarlet Witch’s power doesn’t phase him. He also, however, has moments of compassion, as his guilt for having to execute Strange-838 is written all over his face following the flashback sequence.
The audience even gets to see him use his abilities here. Just a whisper is enough to eliminate Strange-838, and it would have been enough to eliminate the Scarlet Witch as well if Reed Richards hadn’t interjected exactly what he was doing, giving Wanda enough time to counter his action.
Black Bolt’s words being uttered inside his own head when she removes his mouth is enough to kill him, which is a tragic ending for this version of the character, but it gives the audience enough of a glimpse at just who he could be that they’ll be interested in seeing him again in the MCU. The cameo for the character is a great way to show the audience just one aspect of what the Inhumans series was missing, even if there were members of the audience disappointed that the Illuminati didn’t stick around for longer.