Clea ascends to become Marvel's next Sorcerer Supreme in Strange #1

Strange #1 variant cover (Image credit: Sabine Rich (Marvel Comics))

Marvel Comics has named its next Sorcerer Supreme, and it's Clea.

Clea Strange.

Strange #1 cover (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

That's right, the one-time paramour of Doctor Stephen Strange and current Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension is becoming the Sorcerer Supreme of the main Marvel universe - the '616,' as they call it - as a result of the still-ongoing limited series Death of Doctor Strange.

And we already know what's next - a new Clea-centric comic book called Strange, debuting March 2. Death of Doctor Strange writer Jed MacKay will be partnering with former Amazing Spider-Man artist Marcelo Ferreira for this new ongoing series that'll spell out Clea's early days as Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme, and possibly get into her unique family which includes her mother (Umar), her uncle (Dormammu), and her cousin (Doyle Dormammu).

Strange #1 unfinished excerpt (Image credit: Marcelo Ferreira (Marvel Comics))

And if you're wondering how and why Clea has the last name 'Strange,' she and Strange married years ago - even though they live apart and might be considered 'separated' given how they left things at the end of Jason Aaron's Doctor Strange run.

In this new Strange series, however, she'll be pining for the recently-departed Stephen Strange and looking for ways to bring him back, but will be pulled into more immediate concerns - including the debut of a new villain called the Harvestman who makes his first appearance on a Strange #1 variant cover by Mahmud Asrar that we have with this article.

Björn Barends has drawn the main cover for Strange #1, with variant covers by Sabine Rich (two versions), Francesco Manna (a Carnage Forever variant), Shannon Maer (a Comic Mint exclusive), J. Scott Campbell (two versions), Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau (two versions), Frank Brunner (a 'Hidden Gem' variant), Skottie Young, and the aforementioned Asrar. Check them out here:

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"After the apocalyptic events of The Death of Doctor Strange, there's a new Sorcerer Supreme in residence at 177A Bleecker Street, and a new Doctor Strange- Clea Strange," MacKay says in the announcement.

"And she's got her work cut out for her- when she's not fighting off the magical gangsters of the Blasphemy Syndicate, or battling undead super-monsters, she's going after what's hers: the late Stephen Strange. Clea is of the Faltine, that race of warlords and conquerors, and like her relatives Dormammu and Umar, she will not be thwarted in her desires, not even by the mysterious Harvestman standing in her way."

Strange #1 goes on sale on March 2.

Maybe this will propel Clea to be on our list of the best supernatural superheroes in comic books.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)