Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron has teased what lies ahead for Strange and new character Clea in future movies.
"We were really excited to introduce Clea," Waldron told Marvel.com. "Getting Charlize Theron to play that character, holy crap! In the comics, Clea is Doctor Strange’s great love so to speak. The alternate Christine Palmer, as she says goodbye to our Doctor Strange, tells him to face his fears, to be willing to love someone else and to face that fear connecting with someone else."
Clea appears briefly in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange 2, telling Strange: "You’ve caused an incursion and we’re going to fix it." She then tears a portal into another universe before adding, "Unless you’re afraid?" Strange replies: "Not in the least" before getting into the portal behind her.
She's not named in the scene, but her purple outfit and Theron's name in the credits identify her as the comic book character. In the comics, Clea is a sorceress and disciple of Strange. She later goes on to become his wife and the Sorcerer Supreme herself.
"It felt like the perfect time to finally introduce this very pivotal character in Doctor Strange's canon," Waldron added. "Strange went to the Multiverse and tampered with it as much as you probably possibly could. I don’t think it’s any surprise per the rules that Reed [Richards] laid out that he caused an Incursion. So now there’s an oncoming collision of universes. But what does that mean for the MCU? We’ll find out. But we've got a semi-corrupted Doctor Strange and Clea on the case! So it's going to be a lot of fun."
Up next for Marvel on the big screen is Thor: Love and Thunder, which arrives in theaters on July 8. In the meantime, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guide to Marvel Phase 4.
