The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now in theaters.
In the mid-credits scene of Doctor Strange 2, audiences are introduced to Clea, played by Charlize Theron. It teases what might be happening next but officially shows the actor will now be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, this is not Theron's first superhero movie.
In Doctor Strange 2's mid-credits scene, Stephen Strange is calmly walking on the street when he meets Theron's Clea. After introducing herself, she tears a hole in time and space and invites him on a journey. The scene clearly teases future Doctor Strange entries in which Clea will most likely play a big part. Theron is a talented actor and is another big name that will now be joining the MCU family. However, this is not the first time she's played a superhero or, at least, a character that has immense superpowers.
In 2008, she shared the screen with Will Smith in Hancock. The Peter Berg directed film saw both protagonists confronting each other with their super abilities. When Clea shows up in Doctor Strange 2, it's impossible not to be taken back to Hancock and the scene where Theron reveals her true powers in a confrontation with Smith's character. She is hardly playing the same role, but the scene curiously mirrors that of Hancock's.
Hancock never got a sequel, and given the current backlash surrounding Will Smith, it is also unlikely it will get one soon. The film was a mild success earning $629.4M worldwide, although it didn't convince most critics with a promising plotline that deviates toward an overexploited narrative. However, Hancock 2 was announced, and both actors signed on to reprise their roles. But late 2009, Peter Berg gave an interview that killed all hope, saying the project wouldn't be happening because there were "too many cooks in that particular kitchen."
"To get us all in the same room where we can talk and then agree on anything?" Berg added, "You'll never meet a group of people who will have a harder time agreeing on anything." It's been over a decade, and there is no interest in continuing the story from both the creative team and audiences. Still, Theron has commented that she would be more than willing to return in case it should happen.
Having played immortal characters for at least three films, including Snow White and the Huntsman and Old Guard, one can expect she will be delivering the best Clea possible. Even if she doesn't return to Hancock, chances are she will have her hands full for the next couple of years. Audiences are now holding their breath to see what Marvel has in store for them if the multiverse is still frayed and characters seem to be playing with its rifts.
