As revealed at the end of “Doctor Strange in the Mulitiverse of Madness,” Charlize Theron is now firmly set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That film introduced Theron’s Clea, another powerful sorcerer on the level of Doctor Strange and hinted that the duo will be jumping around universes trying to keep things in order. But before she signed on to show up as Clea, Theron doesn’t hide the fact that she was “ignorant” about the MCU and prejudged fans of the franchise.
Speaking to THR, Charlize Theron talked about the reasons why she signed up to become Clea in the MCU. According to the actress, it wasn’t until a vacation with family friends that she truly realized just how great the Marvel Cinematic Universe actually is, and this led to her being interested in the challenge of becoming Clea.
“If I can find the anchor, then I’m never going to be a snob about, like, ‘Oh, does this make me less of a powerful actor?’” she explained. “I was ignorant, I didn’t know those [Marvel] movies well enough until a family who I consider, like, my adopted family had me watch them. They’re crazy Marvel fans, and I always used to make fun of them. Like, ‘Oh my God, you guys are such fucking nerds.’”
READ MORE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’: Charlize Theron Reveals Her ‘Multiverse Of Madness’ Cameo As Clea
Theron continued, “Then one spring break we rented a house and our kids were in a camp and they were like, ‘You need to fucking sit down and watch.’ So, we watched all the movies, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re so fucking good.’ And the kids got in on it, too, and it was such an enjoyable ride. And there’s a mythology around it and it’s been thought out over decades with Clea, and I’m challenged by that. Like, how do you reinvent that? So, I’m excited, but I honestly don’t know what the fuck it’s going to be.”
The idea of Marvel fans being “fucking nerds” is nothing new. That sort of silly stigma has followed superhero fans since well before the Marvel Studios films have become popular. But it’s hard to deny the cultural impact the MCU has had over the past decade-plus. So the idea that only “nerds” watch the films is definitely an antiquated thought.
Many people are wondering where we might see Clea show up in the future. It’s clear, by the mid-credits scene in ‘Multiverse of Madness,’ Marvel has a plan for Theron’s character, but fans are still in the dark. And apparently, the actress herself is in the dark. Or so she says. Let’s be real, it’ll be absolutely shocking if Clea doesn’t show up somewhere before “Avengers: Secret Wars” arrives in 2026.