The upcoming Doctor Strange picture is causing major shockwaves across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the impact that this film will have on the MCU will be enormous. Wanda Maximoff stated in the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that when the good doctor breaks the rules, it is hailed as heroic, but when someone else does it, it is deemed a crime against mankind, or should we say the multiverse.
In Multiverse of Madness, he employed the Dark Hold, or the book of the damned, much like he did in Infinity War, where he delivered Thanos the Time Stone, and the first Doctor Strange film, where he confronted Dormammu alone.
Sorcerers aren’t allowed to utilize the book, much less weaponize it, and it took its toll on Strange, as seen in the film’s mid-credit sequence, where he meets Clea, who requests Strange to restore the exquisite mess he recently made in the multiverse.
In the scene, Strange is seen walking on busy New York streets when he collapses on the ground and seems to be horrified by something. However, he is joined by one of the most powerful heroes of the Marvel universe and a clear A-lister.
Audiences were shocked to see Charlize Theron as Clea opening a portal to another realm that resembled the Dark Dimension. Yes, the one in which Dormammu resides. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea made her first appearance in Strange Tales Number 126 in the year 1964, and with the revival of MCU in the 21st century, fans had desperately been waiting for Clea’s live-action appearance. In this video, we will explore Clea, one of Doctor Strange’s love interests and the very niece of Dormammu.
Who Is Clea?
Well, as I just mentioned, Clea is the second in line to rule over the Dark Dimension. She was born to Prince Orini, who in turn was the son of the previous ruler of the Dark Dimension. If you’ll remember, Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One drew her powers from this dark and mysterious realm. As for her maternal side, Clea’s mother, Umar was of Faltine origin. No need to panic; we are here to cover you.
So, Faltine is an extremely old, dark, and dense universe and its denizens were born of pure energy instead of matter. However, Umar and her twin brother Dormammu were the only newborns who started to devour matter instead of energy, something which was considered an abomination among the Faltines.
Eventually, Umar escaped and found solace with Orini. However, Umar soon realized that she could no longer return to her original energy-based form and was weakened. Furthermore, her brother Dormammu had other nefarious schemes about the Dark Dimension and the multiverse itself. Despite being weak, Umar defeated her twin brother and abandoned her daughter, Clea. This tumultuous childhood traumatized her, but eventually, Clea became one of the strongest characters in the MCU. This can be attributed to her unique lineage, I mean, what else can one expect from someone whose daddy was from the Dark Dimension and mother, an embodiment of pure energy.
Clea and The Good Doctor
If we are to go by the comics, Clea should have appeared in the first Doctor Strange film itself, because that’s where she met the sorcerer supreme. In Strange Tales number 126, Dormammu was hell-bent on conquering Earth and bringing it under his dark realm. However, the then Ancient One commanded Strange to fight Dormammu in the Dark Dimension. Clea was still in the Dark Dimension, and upon seeing Strange, she gave in to her curiosity and followed this strange human.
Clea was spell-bound after witnessing Strange’s abilities and skills, and naturally, she decided to stop him from fighting Dormammu. However, he was determined to abide by the Ancient One’s command and fought Dormammu anyway. Dormammu saw his niece’s favor towards a human as a treacherous act and imprisoned her, hoping to deal with her after eliminating Strange.
But that never happened because during Strange and Dormammu’s fight, the chaos led to the release of horrific beings called the Mindless Ones, who were so terrifying that even Dormammu had to keep them imprisoned. This event forced Strange and Dormammu to fight together and contain the Mindless Ones. Now indebted to strange, Dormammu released Clea and gave up on his plans of invading Earth. After this, Strange and Clea met on several other occasions whence they’d fight Dormammu or his puppets like Baron Mordo.
Clea’s Present and Future in the Marvel Universe
Over a period of time, Clea was forced to take over the Dark Dimension, but that was not going to be easy. It was now being ruled by Clea’s mother, Umar. Clea had to join the rebellion to oust her Umar, and it was during the battle that Clea learned about Umar’s true identity as her mother. Clea managed to defeat her mother and claimed the throne for herself, before banishing her parents to another dimension.
However, the Dark Dimension was still under threat from Dormammu. After the battle was won, Clea requested Strange to stay with her in the Dark Dimension as her consort, but his loyalties for Earth made him decline her offer. Furthermore, Clea had demonstrated how she no longer needed the skills or wisdom that Strange had to offer. However, Strange could not repress his romantic feelings for Clea for long and soon confided his feelings in her. The two of them got into a mystical marriage by exchanging energy rings.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t get married by law because of belonging to entirely different realms. Yet, that didn’t stop them from loving each other. In the third issue of the 1987 comics titled Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme, the two of them had their souls bonded together. Later, in the 24th issue, she left the Dark Dimension under her mother’s rule and came to Earth to live with the sorcerer supreme. But, in a 2007 comic issue titled Avengers Illuminati, she returned to the Dark Dimension and became its Sorcerer Supreme.
But her adventures away from Earth led to a rift in her relationship with Strange, and she even found him dallying with other ladies. Clea wanted to annul their marriage, but Strange refused. However, they chose to remain as friends until Strange made a tough deal with a powerful being called Mephisto in the 2018 comic Doctor Strange #17 to save Earth. But in return for helping him, Mephisto demanded that Clea would lose all memory of Strange.
He had agreed to the deal believing that she didn’t want to continue her relationship with him, but upon learning otherwise, he broke the deal with Mephisto, but this led to Strange’s death, which was depicted in the aptly titled comic called The Death of Doctor Strange. In the second issue of the comic, Clea takes the mantle of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme and adopts Strange’s surname, calling herself Clea Strange. Although Strange has died according to Marvel’s latest story arc, his name lives on with Clea.
Clea’s Powers
As far as Clea’s powers are concerned, she’s partly from Faltine and partly from the Dark Dimension. This gives her a unique set of powers from two extremely opposite realms. However, much like many magic-based characters from the Marvel Universe, there is hardly a specific set of powers that Clea possesses.
Several writers have given her powers new and old as and when required. Furthermore, she learned the tricks of her magical trade under Strange. She fared so well that she became Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme after his recent death, this means that if Strange can do something, so can Clea.
Combined with her natural powers, she looks like a force to reckon with. Only time will tell if Clea will serve as a hero in the MCU as she has done in the comics, or if there will be a darker side to her. That was all in this video, but stay with us for more awesome content on everything that’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and more.