Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange meets the latest addition to the MCU roster in the post-credits scene of the recent Marvel outing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Released via Twitter, the sequence sees The Master of the Mystic Arts chastised by Clea, played by Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, who takes issue with Strange’s meddling with the multiverse.

After a dressing down, Clea quickly wings him away on his next adventure. Drawing her powerful-looking sword, she slices into the air, opening a gate into the Dark Dimension, and offering our first hint at what audiences can expect from Doctor Strange 3.

Created by Marvel Comics legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, while Clea may appear to be a regular, boring human, her biological make-up is a whole lot more interesting than that. The daughter of Umar, a resident of the "Dark Dimension" and member of the Faltines, a race of higher-dimensional energy beings, Clea is also the niece of the demonic tyrant Dormammu. Yes, the same Dormammu who appeared in Doctor Strange back in 2016 and was tricked into surrendering by Strange’s never-ending bargain.

Clea is a hugely powerful sorcerer, and is sometimes the ruler of the Dark Dimension, with the character likely to have a big role in Doctor Strange outings going forward. Though her role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is brief, Charlize Theron instantly impresses as Clea. The actress makes the pitch-perfect choice to bring the somewhat more obscure character to life, and is expected to have huge importance to Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange
Marvel Studios

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has teased the importance of Clea to Doctor Strange, and how she will have a lot more impact than simply being a love interest for the Marvel superhero. “We always knew we wanted to introduce Clea, who in the comics is you could say the great love of Doctor Strange, but really in a lot of ways his formidable equal as a sorcerer herself,” the writer explained. “Her backstory is fascinating, she’s the niece of Dormammu, the giant floating head from the first movie.”

Waldron went on to tease what we can expect from the mystical, magical pair saying, “They have a lot of great adventures in the comics, and we knew we wanted to introduce her, but it felt like we had to close the book to some extent on his love story with Christine Palmer, Rachel McAdams’ character.”

As for the casting of Charlize Theron, Waldron described the hugely talented actress as “dream casting,” saying, "Charlize, she's badass. It's awesome. It's so cool. I was so excited. It's dream casting for that character.”

Directed by Sam Raimi and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released earlier this month and has since grossed over $873 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2022.