Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiered in theaters on May 6th, 2022, and it certainly delivered in the Marvel cameo department. After seeing the film, everyone is most likely talking about the Illuminati. That scene gave me some serious goosebumps as the new/old characters were revealed. However, there was one cameo that easily stole the prize for the most unexpected. It might also be the one with the biggest connotations for the MCU future. This cameo revealed itself in Doctor Strange 2‘s mid-credit scene.
Marvel is famous for dropping bombshells and introducing new characters in post-credit scenes. After leaving off the film on a cliffhanger, we see Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the credit scene walking down the street. As he does, a woman calls his name and he turns to see a blond woman with prominent purple eye makeup woman portrayed by Charlize Theron. She is decked out in some wicked purple armor and informs Strange that his dreamwalking caused an incursion.
The woman instructs Strange to come with her and literally opens up a portal to the Dark Dimension right there and then. Her name is never spoken and those who are unfamiliar with Marvel comics may have been left confused. Theron’s character in the post-credit scene is Doctor Clea Strange. Here’s everything you need to know about Clea.
Who is Clea in Marvel Comcis?
In Marvel comics, Clea is a powerful sorceress and ruler of the Dark Dimension. She is a humanoid related to the Faltine race and is the daughter of Umar and Orini, as well as the niece of the tyrant Dormammu. Her family loyally worshipped and served Dormammu, even after her mother, Umar, was temporarily banished by him to another dimension. Clea first came into contact with Strange when he entered the Dark Dimension in hopes of defeating Dormammu. She then warned Strange of the danger in confronting Dormammu.
Due to her betrayal, Dormammu imprisoned her for the first time, leading Strange to save her. She quickly became Strange’s ally in the Dark Dimension. However, the Dark Dimension rulers—Dormammu and later Umar—remained a thorn in Clea’s side and banished her to other dimensions numerous times.
Finally, Strange decided Clea would only be safe on earth and took her there. Once there, though, she found herself missing the Dark Dimension. While she accompanied Strange on numerous adventures and loved him deeply, he didn’t always return her feelings. As a result, she ended up returning to the Dark Dimension, defeated her mother Umar, and became ruler of the Dark Dimension herself. Strange did end up returning to her and the two were married in a sense (just not legally because Clea is an extradimensional being).
Still, the two’s relationship always struggled. Clea had to divide her time between Earth and the Dark Dimension, while Strange could never quite commit. The two eventually decided to just be friends, but didn’t officially annul their unofficial marriage. On his deathbed, Strange expressed regret that he had let Clea go. He then bequeaths the title of Sorcerer Supreme to Clea and she takes up his mantle as Doctor Clea Strange.
What does Clea mean for the MCU going forward?
Clea’s appearance in the MCU is obviously exciting. She’s an extremely powerful sorceress, she’s tied to the Dark Dimension, she’s literally Strange’s wife, and she’s played by Charlize Theron. You just really can’t get any more bad-ass than that. However, we can’t ignore one aspect of her comic book arc—she takes Strange’s place as the Sorcerer Supreme. This could mean that Cumberbatch’s Strange is gearing up to leave the MCU.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen soon. After all, Clea and Strange have a very long relationship and comic book arc together. The fact that she is just being introduced could mean we’ll see the two together for awhile. At the same time, Marvel has been setting the stage to replace many of their heroes as time moves on. We have Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) taking over as Cap, Yelena Bulova (Florence Pugh) as Black Widow, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) as the Mighty Thor, and Kate Bishop (Hailee Seinfeild) as Hawkeye.
The introduction of Clea certainly seems similar to the other “replacements” we’ve been seeing. So, yes, we might be gearing up for Strange’s heartbreaking death. However, we could also be gearing up to explore the Dark Dimension further, as well as to give Strange a proper love story. All we really know is that Clea is here. While she could be set up to replace Strange, it doesn’t necessarily need to happen soon. Those two have quite the special relationship in the comics and it would be a real treat to see their adventures translated on the big screen.
(featured image: Marvel)
