Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follow.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is, first and foremost, a Very Sam Raimi movie. The film has a lot on its plate: it has to be a compelling sequel for Stephen Strange, while also being a sequel of sorts to WandaVision, while also setting up more MCU multiverse shenanigans to come. But Raimi, along with screenwriter Michael Waldron, reins it all in, and delivers one of the most fun Marvel movies in a while doing so, putting all of his trademark zany horror sensibilities and visual spectacle in a superhero context. Somehow, the movie doesn’t collapse under the weight of all of these storylines, but it wouldn’t be a Marvel movie without a post-credits sequence to tease future story arcs, and Madness provides a big one for the Doctor Strange comic-heads, plus a bonus that’s more of a Sam Raimi Easter Egg. Let’s break it down.
Scene 1: Meet Clea
The first post-credits sequence picks up where the proper ending left off, with Strange walking down a crowded New York City street. Then a mysterious figure calls out to him. A silver-haired woman in an ornate purple costume appears behind him—and she’s played by none other than Charlize Theron (The MCU’s latest big get.) This is the official MCU introduction to Clea.
In comic book lore, Clea is the niece of Dormammu, the evil intergalactic entity from the first Doctor Strange. She was raised in the Dark Dimension, worshiping the dark arts under the tutelage of her mother Umar. That is, until Strange enters the Dark Dimension and she falls for him enough to betray Dormammu. Clea becomes one of Strange’s foremost allies in the Dark Dimension, before coming to Earth with him, where the two eventually get married.
In Madness, Strange appears to have no clue who Clea is, but she’s very familiar with him. Clea has come to recruit Strange, as his actions throughout the movie have caused another Incursion event—a catastrophe wherein two universes threaten to collide. As Clea summons a purple energy knife, she tells Strange the two of them will fix his mistake together and then they jump into a portal to the Dark Dimension.
Clea will likely play a significant role in the as-of-yet-unannounced-but-inevitable third Doctor Strange installment. Still, casting a heavyweight like Theron implies that she may show up in other places, especially if the MCU is building towards Secret Wars.
Scene 2: Pizza Poppa Returns
The second scene isn’t much more than a fun gag, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. We return to Bruce Campbell’s Pizza Poppa, who is finally at the end of his three-week journey of self-inflicted pain at the hands of Strange. In typical Raimi fashion, we’re treated to a fourth-wall-breaking moment pulled directly from the director’s work in Evil Dead. So, no, it’s not a puzzle piece building towards any future MCU developments, but it’s a delightful new addition to one of Hollywood’s most enduring bromances.