In case there remained any doubt that the shared cinematic universe is flailing to find a cohesive direction post-Avengers: Endgame, Charlize Theron has revealed that Marvel Studios has yet to approach her with any plans to reprise her role as Clea beyond the character’s cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Making her brief appearance during the film’s mid-credits scene, Theron’s debut as Clea sees the Mystic Maiden confronting Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange on the streets of New York.
“Doctor Strange?” Clea approaches the Sorcerer Supreme, suddenly materializing behind him.
“Can I help you?” a confused Strange inquires back. “You caused an incursion,” Clea then accuses, proceeding to use a mystical dagger to open a portal to the Dark Dimension. “And we’re gonna fix it.”
Standing on the precipice of the portal, Clea then taunts, “Unless you’re afraid,” to which Strange responds by suiting up and unlocking his Third Eye – which appears to be fully under his control despite its sudden appearance being presented as a terrifying tease for the hero’s next struggle not a minute prior.
“Not in the least,” he declares, turning to leap headfirst into the ether alongside his new companion.
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First introduced to Marvel canon by Jonathan Hickman during his 2012 runs on the publisher’s Avengers and New Avengers titles, incursions are regularly-occurring events – the result of a time-traveling Doctor Doom having sabotaged the omnipotent Beyonders’ plans to eliminate the multiverse – which see two universes co-existing within a respective multiverse begin lapping over into one another’s physical space.
Typically featuring Earth as the initial point of contact, the inevitable collision ultimately results in the complete destruction of both involved universes.
Yet, despite teasing both Clea and these incursions as an important element of the current ‘Multiverse Saga’, it seems that rather being indicative of anything concerning the MCU’s future, this mid-credits scene was nothing more than a panicked moment of key-jangling from the higher-ups at Marvel.
Case in point is the aforementioned fact that, as per Theron herself, Marvel has yet to contact her about reprising her role as the Daughter of Dormammu.
Asked by Happy Sad Confused podcast host and entertainment journalist Josh Horowitz “What’s the Marvel future? What’s the plan? Do you know when you’re popping up next?” during the red carpet premiere of Fast X in Rome, Theron admitted, “I don’t. No. I haven’t gotten a call.”
“Is that bad?” the actress then laughed. “Is that bad? Is that bad? No, I’m not lying, I’m not lying, I’m not lying. I haven’t gotten a call. Is that bad?”
I asked @CharlizeAfrica about her Marvel future and things got awkward. Not really. Well kinda. pic.twitter.com/OLR5W389gZ
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) May 22, 2023
Should Theron return as Clea, it’s possible she could make some sort of appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret War, likely – barring any further development of her character in an as-of-yet-unannounced Doctor Strange 3 – as yet another cameo key-jangle.