Following the theatrical release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, more than half a million people worldwide have already seen the sequel’s intriguing mid-credits scene, which features the official Marvel Cinematic Universe introduction of Oscar winner Charlize Theron as the powerful sorceress Clea. Theron took to Instagram to confirm her Marvel casting through an official Doctor Strange 2 photo, which you can check out below, featuring Clea and Stephen Strange.
Theron’s casting as Clea comes nearly two years since The Old Guard actress previously revealed during an interview with Variety that she has never been contacted by Marvel Studios for a role in any of their films. It’s unclear if she had made this statement after or before she secretly signed on for the MCU.
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In a recent interview on Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast, writer Michael Waldron has opened up about that big cameo, revealing it was always their plan to introduce the titular hero’s great love and formidable equal in the Sam Raimi-directed film.
“First off — Charlize Theron, holy shit!” Waldron said. “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. Her backstory is fascinating; she’s the niece of Dormammu, the giant floating head from the first movie. [Doctor Strange and Clea] 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 – the Rachel McAdams character – and so Doctor Strange hears that wisdom from Christine to face his fears and be open to the idea of loving someone.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees the return of Benedict Cumberbatch in his role as Dr. Stephen Strange. This time, the Sorcerer Supreme will join Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, who finally transformed into the Scarlet Witch during the WandaVision finale.
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Additional cast includes MCU alums Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams, who are reprising their roles as Karl Mordo, Wong, and Dr. Christine Palmer, respectively. It will also feature the live-action debut of Marvel hero America Chavez, who will be portrayed by newcomer Xochitl Gomez (The Baby-Sitters Club).
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy) from a script written by Emmy-winning scribe Michael Waldron (Loki). It is executive produced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
