Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange 2's ending offers some explosive changes for the MCU that the credits scenes double down on.
In Raimi's Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange finds himself protecting the young superhero America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), whose ability to travel between universes in the multiverse is coveted by Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Following the events of WandaVision, in which she came into her true power as the Scarlet Witch thanks in part to the Darkhold, Wanda wants America's power so that she can get her sons back. With the help of Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), Doctor Strange faces off against his fellow Avenger in order to protect America and the multiverse.
Although Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has two post-credits scenes, one is more focused on setting up a future story, while the other plays out as more of a joke. Here are both of Doctor Strange 2's post-credits scenes explained!
Credits Scene #1: Charlize Theron s The MCU As Clea
In the first Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene, Stephen is walking on the streets of New York City when he's confronted by a character in an otherworldly purple costume. The woman tells Strange he caused an incursion, presumably through his use of the Darkhold to defeat the Scarlet Witch. She uses a blade to open a rift to the Dark Dimension and recruits Doctor Strange to help fix it. He s the woman, donning his superhero costume and opening his third eye, jumping through the portal with her just before the scene ends. As confirmed by the movie's credits, this new character is Clea, played by Charlize Theron.
The casting of Theron comes as a surprise, since it hadn't previously been reported or publicized by Marvel Studios. It follows in MCU tradition, though, to introduce new characters in post-credits scenes, dating all the way back to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in 2008's Iron Man. Marvel has returned to this format for introducing characters in Phase 4, with that being the original plan for Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to be first revealed in the Black Widow post-credits scene. More recently, the Eternals' post-credits scene revealed Harry Styles ing the MCU as Starfox, though it was spoiled prior to the movie's release. Theron, however, managed to stay a complete secret up to Doctor Strange 2's release.
Who Clea Is In Marvel Comics
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea has a long history in Marvel Comics, with her first appearance occurring in 1964. She's the daughter of the ruler of the Dark Dimension - a native of the dimension named Orini - and the niece of Dormammu. Clea's mother is Umar, Dormammu's twin sister and a member of the the Faltine, beings composed of pure magic. As a result of her parentage, Clea possesses innate powers of her own in addition to mastering the mystic arts. In the comics, she was raised to serve Dormammu, but after meeting Stephen Strange, betrays her uncle. She becomes Doctor Strange's love interest, and they eventually marry. In the recent comics storyline Death of Doctor Strange, Clea becomes the Sorceress Supreme following the death of her husband Stephen, and takes over as the defender of Earth.
Given the recent comics, it's possible that Clea could at some point become the MCU's Sorceress Supreme - though currently that title is still held by Wong. More likely, she's being set up as an ally and eventual love interest for Doctor Strange, especially since Multiverse of Madness gave Stephen and Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) closure on their relationship. That leaves him free to pursue a relationship with Clea, and their snarky banter in the Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene paves the way for a playful partnership that could lead to more in future MCU appearances. That said, even if Clea does become Doctor Strange's love interest, she'll also likely be portrayed as a hero in her own right, given the MCU's tendency toward developing their characters beyond one-dimensional archetypes. Additionally, since Marvel also usually changes characters in the adaptation process, it's likely the MCU's Clea will differ to her comics counterpart. How exactly remains to be seen, though her costume is a slightly different take on Clea's early comics appearances.
Clea's Connection To The Dark Dimension
The Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene doesn't specify exactly how Clea is connected to the Dark Dimension in the MCU, though it can be presumed she has some link to it given the portal she opens and the blade she uses to do so. Based on the comics, and Dormammu's previous appearance in the MCU, it's possible Marvel will stay true to her comics origin, establishing her as Dormammu's niece and/or the daughter of the Dark Dimension's ruler. Dormammu was last seen in the first Doctor Strange movie when Stephen thwarted the villain's plan to fuse the Dark Dimension with Earth and destroy the latter in the process. Doctor Strange forced Dormammu to abandon any attempts to claim Earth, and seal the portal between Earth and the Dark Dimension. Clea, however, was clearly able to reopen the portal, presumably using the blade she wields in the Multiverse of Madness credits scene.
In of what the incursion could be that Clea references in the Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene, that's also unclear. The Dark Dimension as seen in the sequel looks the same as the first Doctor Strange movie, which may indicate the incursion has not affected it. As the MCU's setup is understood, the Dark Dimension is separate to the universes within the MCU multiverse, so it's unclear whether an incursion can affect it at all. That said, since Clea is the one to recruit Doctor Strange's help to fix the incursion and she's taking him to the Dark Dimension, presumably it has some effect on the dimension even if it doesn't look like the destroyed world Stephen visited earlier in the movie. More about the incursion, how it relates to the Dark Dimension and what Clea's connection to the dimension is exactly remain to be officially revealed.
When Will Doctor Strange Return
Prior to the second Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene, there's a text screen that reads: "Doctor Strange will return." Like the practice of introducing new characters in credits scenes, text screens like this also date back to the early days of the MCU when the movies were setting up The Avengers. Those movies used post-credits scenes along with text screens to promise what was to come in the early years of the MCU; Marvel Studios has returned to this practice in Phase 4. However, as of yet it's unclear when exactly Doctor Strange will return. Doctor Strange 3 has not yet been announced, nor are there any other movies or Disney+ MCU shows in the works about characters who have an established relationship to Doctor Strange - like America Chavez. The Agatha Harkness show is loosely related to Scarlet Witch, but it's not yet known whether Doctor Strange will appear.
It's possible Marvel Studios is waiting to see how Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness performs at the box office before announcing the next film in the series, although considering the continued success of MCU movies, it's unlikely the sequel will flop. More likely, Marvel is waiting for an opportune time to announce Doctor Strange 3 without distracting from Multiverse of Madness' release. As such, it could be announced at San Diego Comic-Con, the D23 Expo this summer, or at a later date. Ultimately, Doctor Strange 3 is the most likely next appearance for Cumberbatch's MCU hero, unless he makes a cameo in a different project first, though there aren't any obvious movies or shows where Strange could show up.
Credits Scene #2: Bruce Campbell Returns
Earlier in Multiverse of Madness when Doctor Strange and America Chavez arrive in universe 838, they're confronted by a sidewalk vendor named Pizza Poppa, played by Bruce Campbell. He accuses America of stealing the pizza balls she's eating and Stephen spells the man to hit himself as a diversion so they can escape. Doctor Strange tells America the spell should wear off in about three weeks. In the second Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene, Campbell's Pizza Poppa returns, looking beleaguered and still hitting himself. However as the scene plays out, he stops punching himself, looks directly into the camera and says, "It's over!"
Ultimately, this scene serves as one last joke in the movie. It follows up with the character seen earlier in the film and continues the gag about Doctor Strange's spell, showing that it did eventually wear off. But the joke is more about the meta context of Campbell's line. It's similar to the Spider-Man: Homecoming post-credits scene, which featured one of Chris Evans' Captain America educational videos about patience being rewarded, poking fun at the audience's patience for waiting until the end of the credits and not getting a substantial story tease. In Doctor Strange 2's case, Campbell's line is both about the spell and the movie itself, announcing the end to the audience. It's a fun meta joke, though audiences wanting more setup for a future MCU movie or show may be a little disappointed.
Why Bruce Campbell Is Such A Big Deal In Doctor Strange 2
For those wondering why Pizza Poppa is a significant enough character to be brought back for the Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene, it has more to do with the actor and his relationship to director Sam Raimi. The duo have known each other since attending the same high school in their early years, going on to collaborate on creating the Evil Dead film franchise in which Campbell starred as Ash Williams. They worked together on three feature-length Evil Dead movies, as well as the original 30-minute short they made prior to 1981's The Evil Dead. Since then, Campbell has cameoed in a number of other Raimi projects, including the director's three Spider-Man movies and the 1990 superhero film Darkman.
Campbell's cameo in Doctor Strange 2 is significant because it really puts Raimi's stamp on his entry in the MCU. There has been much discussion and speculation about how much creative control directors get over the MCU movies they're tasked with, especially in light of Edgar Wright's Ant-Man exit over creative differences. In fact, Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson was originally set to direct Doctor Strange 2 before departing over creative differences, leaving Marvel Studios to bring in Raimi. While it's unclear what exactly those creative differences were between Derrickson and Marvel, it seems Raimi was given enough to control to cast Campbell as Pizza Poppa and put his signature stamp on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Of course, whether Raimi returns for another MCU movie, like Doctor Strange 3 if that's announced, remains to be seen. But Campbell's appearance in the Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene helps make it feel like a true Raimi movie.
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