The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now playing in theaters.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness exploded the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a way that will likely never be put back. With multiple universes shown and many more yet to be seen, many pieces were put in place to set up the next several years of the MCU. But after the danger subsided and the universe was left mostly intact, there was still one loose end that had to be taken care of in the film's mid-credits sequence.

In Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was forced to travel the multiverse to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), who wanted her power to travel through the multiverse. Ultimately, Strange was forced to use the Darkhold, the book of the damned, to combat the Scarlet Witch and open his soul to its corruption. But even before then, Stephen risked the dangers of universes colliding in an incursion, which could threaten the end of multiple realities. As a result, the mid-credits scene revealed Clea (Charlize Theron) as someone who knew what Strange had done and was willing to help him fix it. But who is Clea, and what could the scene mean for the future of the MCU?

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Clea is the niece of the Dread Dormammu and, like him, a Faltine. Her powers in magic also earned her the title of the Sorcerer Supreme in the Dark Dimension. But even though her origins were born of evil, she was an ally and even lover of Strange in the comics. In the MCU, her story or purpose has yet to be revealed, but she knew about his actions and the incursion he had instigated, and before he had time to ask questions, Clea cut a hole into the Dark Dimension and challenged him to step forward. With his newly acquired third eye, Strange agreed and ventured into the home of Dormammu.

Immediately, Clea's ability to enter and exit the Dark Dimension implies just how strong she is in the MCU. While most sorcerers must use sling rings and their astral forms to enter some realities, Clea showed that certain spells and practices aren't always needed to venture to new worlds. Also, because of her connection to the dimension, she likely has even more dominion and power there, allowing her to venture in and out of her reality as she pleases. But what's most interesting is how she's gained knowledge about Strange's actions.

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Clea Strange in the comics

The Dark Dimension is a place of many mysteries and secrets that could corrupt the mind just as quickly as the user learned from it. As a result, Clea could have easily witnessed Strange's efforts in the far reaches of the multiverse due to her control over dark magic. Seeing how Strange had ventured into these worlds, used the Darkhold and kept America Chavez in his universe, it's clear that an incursion would be imminent. Because this could mean the end of her world, she may have known the importance of an incursion being stopped. However, Strange could have also inadvertently helped Kang's variants and their conquest of time and the multiverse, speeding up an incursion that he only marginally had a part in starting.

Nevertheless, with Strange's soul in question thanks to the Darkhold and his actions potentially dooming his reality, Clea was the likely person to appear and help him right his wrongs. But since she's a new character, her allegiances could easily still lie with Dormammu. Now, with his soul corrupted, even slightly, it'll be hard to tell who would be the most or least trustworthy. Therefore, Strange's leap of faith could either save reality or doom it even more.

To see what adventures await the Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now.