How Powerful Is Clea Compared To Doctor Strange?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced Clea into the MCU, but just how powerful is this new sorcerer compared to Doctor Strange himself? Originally an adversary of Strange before becoming his primary love interest in the comics, Clea’s MCU debut marks a significant shift in the franchise – bringing in another sorcerer to a world that is already packed with highly powered beings. Clea’s introduction into this world in the Doctor Strange 2 mid-credits scene implied that the sorceress would play a protagonist role in the future, though if Wanda’s character arc is anything to go by, the two sorcerers may be comparing powers sooner than expected.

Posited to be the MCU’s first horror film, Doctor Strange 2 finally began to explore the darker aspects of the multiverse – both in Wanda’s manipulation of it and Strange’s abuse of its power. Traveling to Universe-838, Strange and America Chavez are told by Mordo about the risks of extensively traveling between universes via dreamwalking, explaining that this may result in an incursion event with one universe colliding into another. Coming face to face with this universe’s members of the Illuminati, Professor X explains to Strange that his 838 variant caused an incursion event and thus had to be neutralized by Black Bolt’s deadly voice.

It is the threat of this incursion that introduces Clea at the end of Doctor Strange 2. Offering to help Strange fix his variant’s mistakes, the sorceress appears to have a greater understanding of the multiverse than even Strange himself. With little more than a cameo to her MCU resume, the extent of Clea’s powers is not yet known, but an examination of the character’s role in the comics can provide some hints as to whether she is more powerful than Doctor Strange.

Clea's Powers In Marvel Comics Explained

As the niece of Dormammu, Clea is an extremely powerful being in the Marvel comics. Her relationship to the ruler of the Dark Dimension points to future links between Strange and Dormammu and hints at the sorceress’ formidable baseline powers. This link to both the Faltine and the Dark Dimension grant Clea the innate ability to control the powerful Flames of Faltine – a spell that draws on the strength of extra-terrestrial beings to summon fire – as well as more conventional powers such as flight and teleportation.

From here, Clea, in the comics, trains under Doctor Strange to study the mystic arts. This training grants the sorceress many of the powers generally linked to Strange such as the ability to cast spells, create shields, and fire bolts of energy. Clea uses a combination of her original powers and her understanding of the mystic arts to create life in the Marvel comics – creating the female counterpart of the Silver Surfer, Ardina, with relatively little effort. With her heritage and mastery of magic, the MCU’s newest sorcerer, Clea, is a formidable ally and occasional adversary of Strange.

Is Clea More Powerful Than Doctor Strange?

Split image of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Clea from Marvel Comics.

Comparatively, the level of power between Clea and Steven Strange is a close-fought battle. On the one hand, Clea’s training in the mystic arts came from Strange himself, meaning that her abilities can only extend to his ability and no further. However, her heritage and links to both the Dark Dimension and the Faltine make her a being of high power, meaning that even if her mystical abilities do not exceed Strange’s, her natural powers may grant her an advantage in a potential bout between the two.

There is currently very little known about whether Clea will possess the same set of powers in the MCU as she shows in the comics. The Doctor Strange 2 mid-credits scene shows the sorceress opening a gateway to the Dark Dimension with a mystical blade, demonstrating that she can bypass the seal to the universe that Strange created at the end of Doctor Strange. With the ability to travel to the Dark Dimension and Universe-616 without dreamwalking or relying on a being with the powers of America Chavez, the MCU’s Clea obviously possesses some powers that Strange is yet to learn.

The full extent of Clea’s role in the MCU’s future remains to be seen, but her comic book abilities have the potential to make her a formidable ally to the sorcerer moving forward. The source material provides several storyline opportunities for the franchise to take, from Stephen’s love interest to perhaps his greatest opponent. One thing is for sure, after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU’s roster of mystic arts masters is rapidly growing.

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