COMPLETE as of July 2021, to be occasionally updated for clarity. UPDATE OCTOBER '21: Clea's first comic appearance in 3 years! Scroll all the way to the bottom for this delightful update on her character. Key issue list now included at the top! Clea is one of the harder characters to do a reading list about, the way that I do them. With characters like Hellcat, Carol Danvers, and Angela, there are at least a few options of where to start, or anchor points in their history to read around, and get familiar with each era a little at a time. Patsy spent a long time as friend of the Avengers before even becoming Hellcat, then spent time with Defenders, got married, died, came back, and had a few definitive solo series' through the decades. Carol has a number of Hero names to read up on, plus a period of depowerment, and what came before the triggering of her Kree genetics. With Clea, she doesn't have any moments pulled out just for her, really, as every issue she's ever been in has been for the sake of someone else--usually Stephen Strange. Her powerset, her power-levels, even her identity wasn't clarified for decades, and all after her having been nameless for her first dozen or so appearances. But she was written to be delightfully intriguing; a spark of youthful energy in the twisted, aging, LSD-laced pages of the somber and responsible Doctor Stephen Strange. This doesn't make her any less interesting--in fact, it just makes me all the more certain we need a solid, definitive SOMETHING for Clea, and I won't deny I'd love to be given that chance, especially after having spent so much time--and continuing to spend ever-more time--reading up on all her appearances. The Read List that follows is a work in progress, as most of my lists always are. Since Clea doesn't have a whole lot of well-known anchor points in her history to work off of, I'm sticking with the traditional way of reading her comics--chronologically. Therefore, this list will take a while to get to anything Modern, though I have read a good bit of her modern appearances. Because I'm sticking with chronological, this time, if there's anything more towards the bottom you want to know about--send me an email! I'd love to do some reading research for you, and update it on Clea's list at the same time. Final note! This is also a work in progress in terms of editing. My notes as I read are a mess, usually, and I often forget to go back and clean it up. I'll do what I can as I go, but a lot is just going to be missed. I stick mostly to just the events in the issue that are directly relevant to the character in question, but again, hit me up if you need clarification on anything! Continue Reading for the complete appearances of Marvel's Clea!
Need-To-Know info: Strange Tales (final issue #168)= Doctor Strange v.1 (first issue #169): 1968 original series Doctor Strange v.2= 1974-1987 series Sorcerer Superme vol.1= 1988-1996 series Defenders= Defenders v.1= 1972-1986 series KEY ISSUES:
Noteworthy Appearances:
Total Reading List:
APPEARANCES IN ORDER: Strange Tales v.1 Strange Tales #126 first appearance, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Also first app. of Dormammu. Clea hides and watches Stephen battle Dormmamu, and thinks that he can't possibly be the Ancient One. She notes to herself he possesses courage, and he feels someone watching. As he runs off, she says she's never seen anything like him. Clea sees that Dormammu is pissed the fuck off, and goes to warn Stephen. She stops his advance and tries to warn him that Dormammu is too powerful, but he says he can do it and goes off. *Strange Tales #127 Clea is still just the mystery girl. She enters where Stephen is again to warn him a second time, clarifying this time that even if he does win, they'll all die. To show him why, she takes him through a doorway to the "beyond". She takes him to the outskirts of Dormammu's realm, where the Mindless ones live. They are spotted and run behind a magic shield, and she explains only Dormammu's spells keep the monsters away from this realm's citizens. Stephen knows instictually she tells the truth, but he must battle Dormammu anyway. When they finally meet, Dormammu has Clea in chains at his feet for betraying him. He says he will destroy Clea after he makes her watch him destroy the Doctor. Clea watches them fight, knowing it doesn't matter who wins, because she is doomed either way. She sheds a tear, then the Mindless ones break through. Dormammu casts a quick spell, but it is too weak to hold them so Doctor Strange adds his power to the effort, and it works. Dormammu is furious, because now he is in the other's debt. Stephen says it's all good, just don't hurt "the female" and don't invade Earth. Dormammu agrees, but not before vowing to not let this indignity pass. Stephen asks Clea if she'll come back with him, she says she belongs here in her world, no matter where her heart is. She tells him go, "Man of Mystery", and know she'll never forget him. Strange Tales #132 In Dormammu's realm, Clea adresses her father about how their king (Dormammu) has been sitting motionless for days (he's doing a thing with Baron Mordo to get at Doctor Strange). Her father is Dormammu's closest disciple, she asks if he knows whats going on. He doesn't, and she thinks that Stephen is in danger again. Strange Tales #133 Clea listens in to Dormammu's conversation on the screen with Mordo, and knows she was right to worry about Doctor Strange, as her lord is out to get him. She notes that only Strange has held up against her master, and only Strange has been a friend to their people. They are in a realm of endless dimensions, and she has no way of knowing which to head to in order to protect the Doctor. Strange Tales #134 Clea watches Dormammu swear to kill Strange, so he can be free of his oath and invade Earth. She thinks to herself that no matter the cost, she must aid Dr Strange now. She takes a mystic device to the barrier holding back the Mindless Ones, and sets it down so it degrades the barrier's strength. They break through, and Dormammu must stop battling Strange (via Mordo) to stop them. Clea thinks to herself she'll be in danger if he finds out she was the one to free them. Clea returns the device which weakened the barrier, knowing all he has to do is think to discover her. Strange Tales #136 Clea paces, waiting to be found out. Dormammu sends magic for her eventually, trapping her in a spell. He tells her she will stay there until she watches him kill Doctor Strange, then he'll kill her, too. She thinks all her efforts are for nothing, and they'll both die anyway. Strange Tales #138 Dormammu still has Clea trapped in his spell, waiting to witness Strange's death, before her own. Strange Tales #139 Dormammu calls Clea to his side to watch the Doctor lose; they are watching like through a television screen. Clea thinks to herself that she would help Strange again and again, regardless of the consequences. Mordo starts to fail and she looks gleeful, so Dormammu pushes her away so she can't see. Then he goes to join the fight himself. Strange Tales #140 Stephen readies to battle Domammu in his own realm, while Clea is trapped in the spell cage again, unable to turn away from the fight. She is the only one to see Mordo cast a spell behind the onlookers, to help his master (Dormammu). She cries out to warn the Doctor, but no one hears. Strange Tales #141 Clea watches, as if on a tv screen. She watches as Doctor Strange beats Dormammu, and is glad, but knows her ill-fate still awaits her. The Doctor goes back to his home and talks with Wong, when Dormammu projects on a screen in midair to him. He says he will have Strange watch him kill "the girl who helped him". She still hasn't been named. So he sends her to a place he says no one will ever find her. The Ancient One points out she is merely bait for a trap. Strange Tales #144 Starts by going back over how Clea got sent to somewhere random as punishment. Now, the Ancient One hopes to search her out on behalf of the Doctor. He pops up in the Doctor's head to tell him they have news, and the Doctor comes to that dimension. The Ancient One has sensed a magical appearance on the edge of reality, so he heads off in that direction. He fights through a bunch of things and keeps having to fight through more, determined to find her. Eventually, he has to return home to rest. Strange Tales #146 Clea's Naming Dormammu is angry his lure is taking so long, so he tricks the Doctor into coming through a portal after hearing Clea's voice. They battle, realms are destroyed, and Strange ends up saving Mordo. Clea pops out, as well, after his having searched for her for months. She says whatever debt he owed her is paid, she gives him her name, finally: CLEA. She tells him he must return home, and he does. He thinks of her at home. Strange Tales #147 Strange argues through the "screen" with imprisoned Mordo, then replaces the image with Clea. He does a spell to perform his memories of her, reliving the moments. Strange Tales #150 First app. of Umar, Clea's mother. Clea, in her realm of the Dark Dimension, notes that the Mindless Ones are trying to escape because Dormammu is gone. They have broken the invisible barrier and roam freely. She thinks the only way to save them all is to contact Doctor Stange, but she can't get a connection. Dormammu's sister shows up, Umar. Strange Tales #151 Umar was trapped between worlds by her brother Dormammu, but his death freed her. She reviews the events of the encounters with Strange, and decides to use Clea as a trap, as well. Clea is buffeted around the place. Stephen receives her unspoken plea for help, and ends up heading off to help. Strange Tales #154 "Clea Must Die" on cover Strange fights the Mindless Ones. Strange asks if anyone has seen Clea, at the end of the issue Umar says she will kill Clea now. Strange Tales #155 Clea Returns to Earth with Strange. Strange blocks Umar's magical blow to Clea. He finally gets to her, and decides to bring her back to Earth for safe keeping. They get caught in a road of repetition, she says he is terrified, Umar tries to fight them magically. Strange sends for the Ancient One to help them, he finally makes it to Earth with Clea. Doctor Strange v.1 Doctor Strange #171 Strange is determined to find Clea. He has Satannish's herald bring him to her, and he gives Strange a vision of her in stasis. He calls mentally to Victoria Bentley, a woman with latent mystic powers who is in love with him. He tells her Clea was a Queen of her realm until Dormammu absorbed it, and he needs help getting her back. They go into cray Ditko-designed realms and he puts Victoria in stasis to keep her safe. Dormammu gets to her and Clea. Doctor Strange #172 The Ancient One transported Clea somewhere. Dormammu pops up and she thinks he was dead. He attacks her, again to use as bait. the Doctor frees her, with the aid of a Victoria, who still loves him. She cries. He sends them both back to where they belong. mk. Doctor Strange #173 On the trip between realms with Victoria, Clea worries she doesn't have the mystic power to get them both through and home. Victoria thinks to herself that she's lost her chance with Stephen, because who can compete with a sorceress from anther world? They materialize in the Sanctum, Clea's outfit is purple on top and red/orange on the bottom. Clea gestures to Victoria not to tell Wong what's going on, then comforts him for their mutually being helpless in the scenario. Clea and Victoria watch on the crystal ball as Umar starts getting the idea to use doctor Strange as an ally in killing Dormammu. They all lay their hands on the orb to give her their power for her spell. *Doctor Strange #174 Now in the Sanctum, Clea worries that though the Doctor saved her, he doesn't speak to her. In his mind, he speaks to the Ancient One, who says he was good to bring Clea here, but she can never return to her own realm. Strange suddenly tells Clea that they must find a place for her to live. She calls him "beloved" and says nothing would please her more, internally worried thata she has angered him. I get the feeling she's kind of like a sexy house elf? For some reason Victoria is still there, standing in the corner by herself, being sad. Why did they do this to this poor woman? Clea and Stephen's body language is super inappropriate for a pair of their age difference, IMO. It's almost like Clea's aura itself is seductive to Stephen, and he literally can't resist her. He tells Wong to find CLea some clothes. Wong says he already did, guessing she was a size seven. Weird note to make. They make arrangements via phone, apparently, and Strange walks Clea to her new home. Clea notes how backwards a world it is that the people are weak but make fun of her and Strange for their appearance. Clea throws a spell at one of the hecklers in a truck, she calls Stephen "Man of my Heart", and the truck disappears. Someone calls her a witch and Stephen has to stop her, again. Some guys start chasing them, Stephen helps them fly back and wipes the guys' minds. Her new building turns out to be luxurious, and she asks why they couldn't fight those men with magic. Strange explains that it would cause a panic, then sees a message the desk left from Wong, asking Strange to return home. He asks if there is anything else, and Clea says yes--something they do on Earth that she's wanted to try, and then there are dramatic panels of them kissing and him leaving in silence. *Doctor Strange #175 first Clea cover cameo. the Sons of Satannish clan see a vision of Doctor Strange walking with Clea; he asks about her silence and she responds it is her way of enjoying things. I relate. Strage is glad she seems to like Earth; I should note she's still in her dimension's clothing, which tells me he's mistaken about how much she enjoys it here. She says she longs to be able to fly and express her powers at will. Again, she's not fully happy here. She notes all men but Strange seem to be about the same. He wonders to himself if he should tell her about the Sons of Satanish, when she says she cant take it anymore and leaps into the air. He uses his own magic to pull her down, and she says not to be mad at her foolish impulse. As they walk away, he wipes the minds of onlookers. They get in a cab, the cabbie says he'll take the scenic route. Stephen realizes this is all a trap, and astrally projects. He fights off the Sons astrally and returns to his body; they drop Clea off at her home, she still already calls him her love. Later, Strange realizes the cab driver is someone who could identify Clea's location, and he forgot to wipe his mind. Meanwhile, at her new home, Clea stands by the window, thinking of the darkness in her heart. It will stay at bay as long as she stays with the one she loves, which is Strange. The door rings, she answers it to see Wong. He tells her they must make a run for it, so by the time Strange gets to her house, she's gone. Clea can tell something is off, but then she and Wong get stopped by some muggers, so she transports one of them to another realm, leaving her weaker and more tired than before. The others identify her as a witch and grab her, and she's too weak to use a spell. Ane of the Sons saves Clea, hiding her from the others. *Doctor Strange #176 first Clea full cover appearance Also the first time Strange says he loves Clea, on the first page, but to himself. He can tell where she was, but not what happened. He founds the cabbie and tells him what he knows. Elsewhere, Clea thinks to herself about this man, Asmodeus, who called himself a friend. He's the leader of the Sons? He tells her to look into the fire and see her future with her beloved, so she looks and he starts to hypnotize her. She shows up next to Strange, tells him she escaped. While he's on the phone, she tries to stab him but he stops her and sees shes under a spell. He uses magic to see her command: kill hDoctor Strange and take the book of Vashanti. He gives her the book and follows her back to where she came from, a cemetery with a mausoleum under his own name. Underground, he fights the Sons of Satannish. Doctor Strange #177 the Sons banish Strange and Clea to a savage realm. Clea worries that Strange has been stripped of his cloak and amulet, and won't be able to save them. They crash into the ground, he looks to Clea who is fine, she thanks him for the magic cushion he gave her. The odd shapes around them are alive and one absorbs Clea, carrying her off. Strange goes after her after he breaks free of his own blob, he dissolves it with orbs of light. Later, Clea wonders aloud how long they've been there. She points out the plants are moving, one of them gets Strange and she says he's evolving into one of the plants. Then the cloak and the eye magically find their way to him and save him. He gets them back to the cemetery and changes into a blue guy, he tells Clea to go hide. Doctor Strange #180 Stephen stops by Clea's house to pick her up for a date, he says she looks lovely, although she's wearing her usual outfit and just did her hair a little different. He says it wasn't desgned for snow and gives her a magical new outfit with a coat and hat. She notes snow is like rain but colder and softer, she likes it. It's NYE in NY and they take a cab to Times Square. Strange wonders what it'd be like if he could stop being Doctor Strange and live a normal life with Clea. She understands the ideas of hope and faith that he explains to her about NYE. A friend of his shows up, and at midnight the guy grabs and tries to kiss Clea. Strange replaces her with a lamppost for him to kiss, then dinosaurs attack. Strange goes off to battle them and Clea wishes him well. Doctor Strange #181 Strange heads off from the fight to see if Clea made it home. She did, and she is getting her coat back on, ready to go back out. He says Woman is the one constant across all universes, and she says she can tell he's hiding a secret danger from her (he might be dead in a day). He says let's go, and she insists she can take whatever it is. She reminds him she helped him fight Dormammu when they first met, that she's strong enough. She asks if this Nightmare person is what he worries about, and they're interrupted by a guy trying to throw a snowball at them for looking "fancy". Clea wants to teach them a lesson with magic but Stephen turns the guy into snow for a few seconds so they'll just think they drank too much. They arrive back at the Sanctum, Strange says Clea's name while her holds her face in his hands. Doctor Strange #182 Clea and Wong spot Doctor Strange in the orb. Clea hears the far-off voice of Nightmare, and the two men fight, then the doorbell rings. Clea calls Wong back to watch the battle with Cain Marko, and she points out when Strange's body returns to them. She embraces him, asking what all of this means. Doctor Strange #183 Doctor Strange comforts Clea, who says the shadows always surround them, and she wants them to make their own bright life far away from there. She mentions the letter he received being perplexing, and asks why it changed names (eternity did it). She asks what startled him, Strange shows her his medical diploma with a different name. When he decides to head out, Clea insists she thinks it is a trap, and that she's afraid for him. As he leaves, Stephen thinks to himself that he didn't make fun of her "feminine worries" because he knows she is a sorceress from the Dark Dimension herself and could have precognitive gifts. But also, I like to think, he didn't make fun of her because he isn't a chode. *Marvel Feature (1971) #2 Dormammu is back, so things go wild and crazy. Later, Clea wakes up Wong where she finds him unconscious in the doorway after the followers of Dormammu attacked. He tells her that Stephen is gone. She is wearing a red velvet-looking turtle-neck and plaid skirt, and silver jewelry. Wong says the attack might have something to do with Strange's orb, and Clea says she thinks Stephen is starting to look at it more than her, now that her powers have faded on Earth. oh. okay. her first depowering. Clea chastises herself for thinking such things, and decides she must use the Eye of Agamotto to try and find Stephen. Later, Clea and Wong encounter Hulk and Namor in an alley. She says they need their help to find Dr Strange, but Hulk doesn't trust her. She insists that she feels all of Earth is in jeopardy, and hands them street clothes to wear. She mystics Hulk back to being Banner, and gives him sedatives to keep the beast at bay. They head out, and Clea informs them she found a trace of Strange's physical form in Vermont. They're stopped by cops about a curfew, looking for Hulk and Namor (in a hat, so they can't see his ears). Clea says they went another direction, and tells the group there's no time to spare. They take a bus, see a F4 Halloween themed parade, then climb up a mountain to see Dormammu apparently about to sacrifice Stephen. The minions of Dormammu spot them out and start attacking, so Clea sneaks Wong closer to the Dr's body, then predicts that his astral spirit is inside Wong, and she's correct. He reunites with his body to fight Dormammu, then rescues Clea and the others. Defenders #5 Clea appears in one panel on page six with no lines. Notably, her single appearance is when Val comes marching in angrily, talking about how she rubs other women the wrong way, and she thinks even "his" Clea wishes she would leave, noting the distaste on her face. Marvel Premier v.1 Marvel Premiere #5 Clea wakes from a nightmare, knowing that it was a message from Umar that Stephen is in need of help. She decides to head to his house and use the orb of Agamotto to see what's up. Wearing a low-cut red dress and heels, she bangs on the door until Wong opens and she can tell him whats wrong. She goes to the broken orb and uses magic to put it back together. Using the fixed orb, she sees Stephen in an underwater cave, fighting the same men from her dream. She says they can get to him in time, but not to the Ancient One. They drive to Strange in the convertible, and Clea warns he might die if they're too late. Marvel Premiere #6 On the road to Stephen, Clea gets the chills. She feels a wicked aura around them, then a random guy runs up asking for help with his girlfriend. He tells them of the Trogolodytes of Starksboro, who his girlfriend was turned into. Ebora arrives and sicks them (her monsters she made out of people) on the three of them; Clea's magic fails her in this evil environment and she is taken. She's tied up with Wong and the other guy, where Stephen finds them while flying by. Clea begs not to die like this, as Ebora sends her monster after them. He free's them and they all fight the crowd, taken over by the Ancient One's spirit. The evil essence of the place begins to fade, so he and Clea gain their powers back. Marvel Premiere #7 Clea is featured on the cover. Clea asks Stephen what is wrong, flanked by Wong. He says he must head off to Stonehenge to prevent disaster. Wong suggests he go right away and they will follow later, and Clea agrees he should go now if it's so urgent. She wishes him well as he goes off. Some time later, they follow in the car. Clea can tell with her magical gifts that Stephen is nearby, and needs their help. She focuses her mental image, and sees him walking to his doom. They arrive to find him under a spell, and she races to catch him. She uses a spell to clear his mind. They beat the enchanter but when they all return inside, the house is all topsy turvy. Marvel Premiere #8 The house is attacking them, and Clea notes the weird slime is the worst part. She gets hit on the head with a candelabra, then she helps find the door to escape. Outside, she convinces Dr Strange to use his magic on the house. He has to leave, after, and touches Clea's cheek as she wishes him well, again. She cries as she sends him off, noting how he always faces such dire circumstances, but comes out on top, though it worries her. *Marvel Premiere #9 Clea and Wong arrive at Stonehenge, but Stephen isn't there anymore. Clea can magically sense he WAS there, recently. Suddenly, as he talks, she notices she feels whole again, as she does in the Dark Dimension from where she hails. It must be due to some magical Stonehenge thing. She says she knows the impossible, that the fate of everything lies on Stephen's shoulders. Ah, now she does note that she can sense all this because of Stonehenge, so there we go. Wong asks what to do now, she says to go home. Clea6 tells him there will be a battle of Masters, and they are less important than raindrops on rock. Arguably, raindrops DO have a massive effect on rock, it just takes decades of time for the erosion to wear down enough to call it a major difference. I wonder if the writer consoidered this, and is trying to show they ARE just as important? Who's to say... Marvel Premiere #10 As Doctor Strange fights Shuma-Gorath, all magicians around the globe, including Clea, receive the message that he is fighting for the soul of humanity. The Ancient One is killed and goes to a higher level of existence. *Marvel Premiere #12 Clea and Wong come hauling up to Stephen in a jeep, she yells out at him to listen. She notes he does not hear, but then he turns to her. She was worried that he did not return after his previous battle, so she concentrated her fading mystical powers and found him here. I should note that her abilities and power level waxes and wanes from issue to issue, it seems. One issue she understands stuff, another she is clueless. She asks if the Ancient One is dead, Strange says merely gone to another plane of existence. As he speaks about the sanctity of saving life as Doctor Strange, Clea sheds a tear. He sees this, and his soul aches with their intense emotional bond. They embrace and speak each others' names, knowing they don't need to speak aloud the "I love you" that follows inside them. Strange then magically transports them back to his Sanctum in NY. Wong panics and says that jeep was a rental, so Strange magically sends it to where it belongs. He walks in the speak with Clea, sitting in the library. He says since he is Sorcerer Supereme, now, he needs to choose a disciple, and he notes her once-stronger powers. He says he chooses her to follow him, but she asks if this is out of love or pity. He says she is the perfect choice, and what they mean to each other is just extra. He gives her a book to study while he goes away for a few days. Before he leaves, he tells Wong to check in on Clea and makes sure she doesn't forget to eat. ooook. Marvel Premiere #13 In some other realm or something, Stephen disguises himself and tries to send a note for help to Clea. She notices it. Defenders (1972) #7 The Defenders stop by the Sanctum Sanctorum to see Strange, but Wong and Clea tell them he's out. Clea is in a red-pink sleeveless turtleneck dress with a gold belt. She doesn't actually speak, instead stands towards the back smiling shyly as if she would like to make a good impression with these strangers. Remember her first contact with the team was an angry Val in #5, bursting through the Sanctum. Defenders #8 Doctor Strange rushes into the Sanctum, finally, telling Clea and Wong he got his powers to reverse the spell that put Black Knight as stone. Clea tells him to summon the Defenders to let them know, which he does. Already she is starting to warm up to them. But Strange can't reach Val or Clint, because they're trapped. Namor is there too, oh okay. Namor too, then. A rescue mission happens, Clea isn't there. Loki and Dormammu talk at the end. What a duo. Giant Size Defenders #1 The bulk of this isssue is Clea assisting Val in learning more about her Defenders temammates, by showing her their past memories of key moments i their lives. these "memories" are actually pages from formerly published issues on each character, with classic reprinted art. Val notes that the Defenders are an odd group, but they work well together. Clea has her explain, and learns that Val wants to know as much as she can about her fellow team members for the better of the team. Clea says though she's still in training, she can help by showing her the pasts of her friends' lives. She magically fingers Val's ego, apparently, and shows her Bruce Banner's past. After, Val tells Clea that was amazing, and she can relate to him so much better, now. But, as she ends the spell, the real Hulk disappears from the other room. Clea notes to herself she feels a power surge away from her as she does the spell, but doesn't say anything. Now she has Val concentrate on Namor, for his turn. As they end his story, Stephen panics in the other room as Namor disapears. He finally senses Clea using magic, and figures out the spell she is using is a re-live the past spell, not a view the past one. But Clea has already moved on to his story, and he disappears, too. She tells Val the story of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu, and Mordo. Now, the three of them are fighting endless loops of the story of their lives, due to Clea's miscast spell. Clea feels feedback from her spell, and something using her as an anchor--it's Dr Strange and the others. He tells her to learn from this lesson and not cast spells she isn't sure about. K. Doctor Strange v.2 (1974) *Doctor Strange #1 Clea walks in the room where Stephen is, thinking to herself about how he's been in there for days. The narration calls her "spritely with a soft step and a presence that fills the room". He turns to her, "his beloved," and apologizes for neglecting her. She says she understands, due to his recent events that were super heavy and meaningful. She's come to report on her studies, and does a funny magic trick joke with a bunny out of a hat. adorable. The joke makes him smile, and he asks if she's seen some other card trick he knows. She tells him he can show her"...later," and the narration strongly alludes to her meaning they're gonna fuck later. Strange tells Wong he's off to do something or whatever, leaving Clea in the "warm afterglow of love." Wait, did I miss them fucking already? She pets the rabbit and talks to it about how Stephen is such a man, and I can't help but feel like we're still talking about sex. From outside, someone enchants the rabbit to grow massively in size. Clea believes it is her own spell gone wrong, but then it jumps out the window and runs down the street. She worries that the rabbit will break Stephen's rule of being unnoticed, but then a man jumps in the window. Wong walks in just in time to see the villain known as Silver Dagger hypnotize Clea, and then take out Wong himself. He attacks the Doctor, then runs off with Clea under his spell. When he wakes, Stephen asks his orb about Clea. He sees that the Silver Dagger has her chained up and is trying to get her to denounce magic. *Doctor Strange #2 Silver Dagger beheads Doctor Strange in front of Clea, but she knows it is just a mannequin. She says she knows he thought after hypnotizing her and taking her away from her "den", she'd give in, but she won't denounce him. The Dagger insists he killed Strange, and she lets out a single tear. He says, now he will cleanse her unclean faith. He thinks to himself that he knows what she is--some girl run away from home to New York to be a hippie and join up with the dark arts. Using the eye of Agamotto, he sees that Strange is actually still alive. Shit happens and Stephen ends up with an alt-reality Valkyrie's horse. The Dagger watches on the eye, I guess he thinks he trapped Strange in a false world? Doctor Strange #4 It goes over the events of the last two issues. As Strange goes on, he is shown a vision of Clea, still entrapped. The voice says she is dying. Doctor Strange #5 bondage Clea cover; first step in their "marriage" of souls. Clea, chained up near Silver Dagger, is under the impression he killed Stephen, and she is next. He tells her she could have had it good, if she didn't fight against him so much. She calls him a self-righteous madman, and he tells her his ridiculous backstory. Clea passes out during the story of exhaustion, he wakes her with water over her head. rude. When Stephen finally walks in, Dagger thinks it's a trick of Clea's. Clea touches Streange's body, and something mystical happens. She allows him to use her mind as a point of reference to start rebuilding his own reality, and his energy helps her recover her strength. They become mentally linked, while she takes in his soul. Together, they break her chains, and Clea is able to make her escape. She arrives at the Sanctum, and uses Stephen's strength to get them inside. Wong says the body is there, and she releases Strange back to his body. He thanks her for stabilizing his spirit, then senses Dagger's arrival downstairs. He asks Clea to come watch, and she will happily. When he asks for her assistance, she finds that holding his spirit reignited her powers to be even stronger than ever. She helps banish the Dagger into the eye, and Strange reassures her he won't be able to escape. Doctor Strange #6 First appearance of Gaia Strange and Clea walk through Central Park together, using sorcery to make them appear to be in normal clothes. They are here to see if Clea can reverse the spell on the rabbit in the first issue, but she isn't so confident because her training was interrupted. Stephen insists, so to joke with him, Clea lets loose her astral form, making her body collapse so he has to catch it. She floats over to the rabbit and whispers a spell, which makes it go back to normal size. Strange command her to get back to her body, and she laughs as she does, saying he looks funny when he tries to be stern. They have an odd student teacher romance that isn't entirely NOT creepy. He jokes he shouldn't have taken up with an outer-dimensional pixy. Her characterization at this point is still very much naiive, playful, and curious. A heroin addict comes up asking for money and there's a weird anti-drug lesson interlude. Clea notes this world is no more a paradise than her own. Meanwhile, the addict thinks about his true nefarious plan. They are attacked on the way home by Umar, back for more. They fight, then she goes away. They two of them continue home to the Sanctum to find out more about whats going on. Clea tells Strange that after Umar banished her to the outer realm, she had hoped to face her again as a master mystic. When stephen says they should return to the Dark Dimension to see if Dormammu is back, Clea insists she cannot, but can't say why, and doesn't want to be asked. Strange agrees, saying she's her own woman. They kiss passionately and say goodbye, then he vanishes into thin air as they kiss. While he is in her dimension, Clea wanders the streets of NY. She's embarrassed, and thinks to herself that she always knew this day would come. Before we get further explanation, she hears a voice call her name. She turns to it, and is transported to a forest where a shadow of a woman speaks to her, saying Clea must help her, because she's a woman and she will understand. Clea is transported back to where she was, and she says aloud that she does understand. She hurries home and asks Wong to watch over her body while she astral projects. She dives deep into the center of the earth, joking to herself that she was curing rabbits just that afternoon. She narrates a bit as she goes, thinking about not getting overconfident while still holding fast to her abilities. Suddenly, the voice of the woman is there again, telling her to stop. She meant for Clea to get Doctor Strange to help, not endanger herself. She tells Clea to run but it's too late, she ends up fighting some weird dimension demons. She does well, but they eventually get her caught between two fires and she holds her ground. As she struggles, she hears a voice from the lava pit and Dormammu reveals himself to her. Doctor Strange #7 Clea is at the center of the Earth in her Astral form, in an attempt to help a pleading spirit, but has come across demons and Dormammu. He tells her he knows she was coming to aid Mother Earth, but she is all his now or something. He still calls her traitress, referencing their mutual first appearances. He explains Umar put his growing, reborn essence here at Earth's core to grow in the flames. Mother Earth's qualm is that he is now made from a part of her, torn away without her consent. Interesting concept here. bit rapey. Dormammu needs time to grown, still, so he tells the demons to destroy Clea. She thinks to herself that Mother Earth had no way of knowing Stephen was in Dormammu's realm, right now, and couldn't come help her. To aid Clea, Mother Earth blows a giant Volcano so the lava will drain from Dormammu, and the core. Dormammu then leaves to clog the volcano eruption, allowing Clea an opportunity. She heads back to her body. Back in her body, Clea tells Wong about the danger below the Earth. Wong pleads with her to contact Stephen, but she insists she can find another way. She contacts one magician, who sends her to another, who happens to be senile. Continuing to search, she finds the addict from the last issue, now giving some speech where he admits to that being all fake. The group he speaks with are minions of Dormammu, and they come to raid Strange's house, but Clea is there to meet them. She tells them Strange strengthens the houses defenses as well as hers, and to work with him is to know how to survive. The men of Dormammu hesitate at her words, having been told she was weak. Big D had no way of knowing she'd been training with Strange, and she wipes the first attacker, scaring off the rest. She quotes Erasmus from one of Stephen's books as they flee. At last, Clea is smart, gifted, and witty, all at once. In the Dark Dimension, Strange tries to leave, but has lost all of himself but his life. A guy in a triangular hat and his army come in, saying he is Dormammu's closest disciple. He claims the people here love Dormammu and hate Strange and all else who defy him, then Clea pops up. She ignores him and addresses the others. She is this guy's daughter; the reason she can't return is she broke her peoples' law by aiding Strange in her first appearance, and broke her father's heart whens he fell in love with Stephen. She says she cannot help Stephen, though she knows they want to hurt him. Doctor Strange #8 partial Clea cover; ORIGIN OF CLEA; 2nd "marriage" event. As she cannot fight her people, Strange asks Clea to connect with his cloak of levitation. She didn't know he doesn't have magic anymore, so she goes ahead and lifts them both out of the scene. She lands them in a grassy area she says she used to hide in her youth, and she fills Stephen in on the Dormammu situation. He suggests they meditate on it, but Clea finds a small doll from when she was a child. She tells Stephen the Dark Dimension was a wondrous place, and they all slaved for Dormammu unquestioningly. She admits it's been hard to be back here, defying her people again, and wants to let her mind wander to simpler times. It occurs to me that she has everything to lose, but Stephen has nothing but his life. Clea's father was chief among the slaves, preferred by Dorammu, therefore he was highly regarded. She had an ideal child life for a kid there, but wasn't happy. When she left with Strange, it was unforgivable. Since her father is the only mystic in the realm besides her, they head to him. Mother Nature interrupts, calling to Clea for help, again. Clea tells Strange, who doesn't get the message from Mother Earth, that Gaia was the one to inform her about Dormammu's impending return, through her earthly form. Based on what Clea says, he thinks Dormammu is coming forth. And he does, appearing before Umar again. Later, Umar escapes to the cult leader guy and they act intimate and hateful. Clea's father storms around, angry about her treatment of him. Clea approaches him, wanting to talk with her father. He is furious and says she has no father or mother. She is saddened to learn Stephen was right, and her father would never turn away from the Dark One for her. Back with Stephen in the grassy area, he says the only one with enough power to help them is the Earth Mother herself, still in captivity. He asks Clea if she knows enough Pagan magic (lol) to possibly help, and she agrees. Just then, a little girl of the DD interrupts, knowing they are the bad people she was warned about. She runs off, and the two of them know they have less time. Clea goes off to get what she needs for a pagan ritual, noting the girl reminds her of herself, and the city is still asleep. She thinks she feels like a criminal as she sneaks into her own old house. She goes to her former room, exactly as she left it. She gathers a ribbon and water, materials needed, then hears her father with the young girl who spotted them. His name is Orini. She returns to Stephen, and they begin the Pagan ceremony. This is the seond event of Clea dn strange's "marriage." Clea ties the ribbon around her hair, Stephen around his head. She pours the water in a circle he draws, and they chant until he throws his most prized possession--the amulet--into the ring. The ring turns to gold and rises to encircle them, Clea moves away as it sends Stephen spinning through the Mindless Ones, Clea draws the demons of Dormammu away before they too can see Stephen. She leads them to the G'Uranthic Guardian, and it challenges her approach with light, as she knew it would. She is in intense pain but knows now it is all up to Stephen. The force of light goes through their connection, and he uses it to attack the Mindless Ones. The guardian drains itself into Clea, and weather across the world is topsy-turvy due to Mother Nature's capture. Stephen rushes to Clea's side, she is alright, and feels his power within her. Knowing magic and now obtaining power, she uses it all to attack the Mindless Ones. Then, Orini comes in angry Clea didn't heed his warning to leave. He attacks her, but her shield holds. Strange starts to give her a pep talk, but she's too angry and continues arguing with her father over him. Stephen finally gets her to cool off, and she reigns it in. While she continues to hold Orini off, Stephen worries she's had his immense power too long. They touch brows, and his power and magical knowledge is returned to himself. Elsewhere, Dormammu brags to Umar about his plan, and how the Earth is splitting under the Mother's pain. Back where they are, Stephen and Clea start to head off, having gotten their powers situated properly again. She finds a statue of her father on the ground and thinks to bring it with her, but throws it away, saying she is no longer bound to the past, and she looks forward to the challenge of the future. Just then, Dormammu breaks through, ready to be fought. *Doctor Strange #9 Clea on the cover; Umar revealed to reader as Clea's mother. Uh this issue is titled CONSUMATION in big letters. H'okay. Starts by going over the last issue's events. Umar and Dormammu traipse through the Grand Canyon, startling natives. Umar rejoices that after "all these years" her brother walks the earth. He is as tall as the canyon, 8,000 feet. He believes Strange (and Clea) to be dead, and rejoices as well. In reality, Strange and Clea pop up in his Sanctum, where he says it is maddening that the realm of her birth condemns her so. Probably even worse for her, bub. Once more the Earth Spirit bursts through to call on them for help, saying Dormammu is free. Clea says the Mother cannot take much more, and they're interrupted by Wong announcing several guests. They have come to aid him, being impressed with him and Clea's work. Each of them see Dormammu differently, so they cannot line up their magics to stop him properly. Only Strange and Clea are in perfect harmony, after the sharing of souls in #5 and the sharing of minds in #8. And Dormammu gains more power on Earth, he tells Umar he will let her control his own Dark Dimension, meaing he is double crossig her now. He waves his arm, trying to cast her out to some random no-name place, but it traps him, instead. Umar has tricked him. I guess because she is a woman, she could connect to the Earth goddess, and became stronger. All the power from Earth that Dormammu was meant to keep funnels to Umar now, and he shrinks in size. Then, Orini comes in to let her know Strange escaped. She commands him to go back and wait in the Dark Dimension, and he cries out asking why she must treat him so poorly. There is a flashback to long ago, and their relationship as it was. Basically what it sounds like is Umar had her eye on him when he was teenager, and when he reached manhood she seduced him to see what human sex is like. Well, she didn't like it, at all, and runs off when it's done, unhappy. She later gives birth to their daughter, CLEA! He says he kept her a secret from Umar's brother, keeping her safe. Then Stephen and Clea start coming near them, and Umar laughs that she will have Strange kill Orini as punishment for his loathsome lusts. LOL I love her. She commands him to attack Clea, which he does, and Strange cries out that Clea no longer has magic. This is a little confusing because I thought her powers were restored to their normal state after the last issue? Strange attacks him, and they fight. "Boldly, Clea bolts towards her man." really guys? She has a plan, which she mentally tells Stephen. He uses the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to bind Orini. Umar doesn't know it, but Strange passed almost all his powers to Clea, again. While Stephen distracts Umar, Clea dives into the center of the earth. She speaks a spell to the Earth Goddess, freeing her. Gaia thanks Clea and leaves, saying she will repay her. It all happened in 3 or 4 seconds, and Clea pops back out where Strange is. Umar is enraged at discover Clea holds his power, and fights her. They mind link. Elsewhere, the homeless guy asks Mother Earth to save him. She says she can if he calls his master (Umar/Dormammu). Clea and Strange beat Umar, allowing Dormammu back in to power. Mother Earth arrives, telling Dormammu how he violated her brutally, and she gets all of nature to hold the same Harmony as Strange and Clea, allowing the force of the whole world to help them take him out. They win, and mother earth says she'll remember them forever. Strange takes away the bands, allowing Orini out again. Cleas asks what he will do, he says return to his own realm, but Umar and Dormammu cannot die, so he says soon all will be as it ever was. He picks up the weak body of Umar, and takes her home with him. Marvel Two-in-One #6 Strange and Clea stand on a train platform in normal clothing. A girl on the platform plays a harmonica, and is attacked. She is pushed in front of an oncoming train, and begs onlookers to...save her harmonica. Stephen does, instead of saving her life, and she explodes when hit by the train in a bunch of stars and lights. The muggers run off, Clea asks what she was. He says the clue is the Harmonica, and they head off. Later at the Sanctum, strange invokes some magical crap, and it turns out the girl is a physical manifestation of destiny. Her appearance changed the course of everyone's lives on the platform. He goes off to fix it. Clea doesn't appear again until the final panels, greeting Stephen and Ben as they return. She tells them that Valkyrie came and took the harmonica. Defenders #21 Clea doesn't appear until halfway through the issue, when she helps Nighthawk in. That is all. Marvel Team-up #35 Clea comes in to check on Stephen. He says her just being there is help enough. She is in a cute modern look. Fun fact: Johnny Storm's suit at this time was red with black underwear. Defenders #22-25 22 Clea sits holding a rando baby, while everyone talks. I like to think she is trying to be involved wherever she can fit herself. She's in a cute emerald green look. Her hair is drawn as fully blonde in this issue, as opposed to white. 23 Clea's hair is white again. She has no lines, and only appears in the background of one or 2 panels. Her outfit is the same color as her hair, so I have to assume the colorist was having an bad couple of week's on these issues. 24 While everyone is in the middle of some drama, Clea is at the Sanctum with Bruce Banner. He tells Clea he'll need her help to save them all. I guess he talks her into it by listing the other part-time Defenders, which I guess was the writers trying to "justify" adding her as a walk-on Defenders team member. They need her to contact the others, so she ascends a tower and goes to the orb of Agamotto. She focuses and makes contact with Daimon Hellstrom. The author is kind enough to note that her message was swift and terse, since she can't hold on to the power too long. Thanks, my guy. I'm sure Clea loves being outted as "not as good as Strange" fucking constantly. Clea also reaches out to Daredevil, but collapses as she tries to go for Namor. Bruce tells her she did her best. No, really? Wait, then they fucking pick up the damn telephone and just CALL Luke Cage. Why couldn't you do that with everyone else, fellas? They all show up to the Sanctum, and Clea greets them. She says Cage caught one of the guys who have the other Defenders captured, so they get information from him. Then Val is on TV on an upside down cross, about to be burned? shit, dude. that got dark, fast. The guys head off to help. 25 crucified Val cover... Clea opening page looking creepy! nice. not anywhere else in the issue. Doctor Strange #10-13 *10 Stephen is having an intense moment and Clea flips his cape over his head as a joke. He turns around to see she's proud of herself. She said she heard his somber steps on the stairs and came to tease him, but he gets angry with her, saying he can't be bothered with such nonsense. She asks if she is a bother to him, and he says he speaks to her as master and disciple, not their romantic relationship. Suuure. This is obviously going to become a "thing." Strange kisses Clea, who tells him everything involving her is personal. Then the sky drops out from under them and it's all spacey, Eternity stands there. Clea says she now understands Stephen's mood, he covers it up so locals don't see it. Clea asks what she should do, he tells her to wait until he needs her. *11 While Strange does his stuff, Clea speaks with Rama Kalifph, watching Eternity, knowing Stephen is inside. She asks for his help, but he cannot. Clea thinks to herself of all she has given up to be here this moment, then reminds herself Stephen loves her. Then Baron Mordo escapes, and she wonders what happened. Later, Clea is at odds with herself, and decides she needs to be by his side. She calls out to him, knowing their minds and souls are connected. Her mental cry causes IRL Stephen to look upwards, and therefore be missed by a killing blow. ur welcome. *12 As Stephen does stuff in another place, Clea mentally messages him, saying she senses he is about to be in danger, and wishes to join him. There is a super unnecessary editor's note that Clea did the same thing in the last issue, as if Stephen stating what was going on needed further explanation. Still, Strange cuts Clea's message off and goes about his business. The battle goes poorly, and he ends up reaching out to her mentally for help. He notes this is something they can do because they did that mind meld shit on issues 5 & 8. But it doesn't work, says the page, but she shows up anyway. When Mordo attacks, he says something about Clea's mind vanishing? 13 The world is dead, except Strange. Clea appears in a panel when Strange, the Ancient One, and Eternity are rebuilding everything. *Defenders #39-41 39 tiny Clea on the cover Strange is telling the other Defenders Clea must NOT be stopped. In the parlor of the Sanctum, the Defenders wait for Strange and Luke is impatient, so Clea tells him magical work is a tedious undertaking. Later, across the street from where Val is in jail, the Defenders (-Strange +Clea) decide they need a diversion to get her out. Clea obliges, and Luke jokes she set off a miniature sun. 40 Val gets a new suit from Clea At the Sanctum, Clea and Wong greet the returning Defenders, with Val now. Clea pulls out a big garment box for Valkyrie, telling her it's to commemorate this day. Val feels like she doesn't deserve it, but Clea tells her to consider it a "hansel:" a magical thing for her to take back into the world with her. She is about to protest again when Kyle (Nighthawk) tells her to put her pride aside and to open it upstairs if she doesn't want them to watch. She goes, the gift is an outfit Clea designed her. it is interesting to note that though Val and Clea were extremely trepedatious about one another initially, they got onto the same page with each other much faster than with any of their male counterparts. 41 sitting on a couch in the Sanctum around the other Defenders (-Stephen), Clea says she is getting a telepathic message. Hulk says he is, too, noting it is like a magician's voice "only a woman". They show up at a woman's beheading, stopping it. Clea finds Stephen and Kyle in a box, she mind melds with them again and busts them out. Clea is in a few battle panels in the background but nothing else. Howard the Duck #8 Clea and Strange appear in the opening page without lines, and nowhere else. *Doctor Strange #15-19 15 Clea bursts in to the sanctum, angry Stephen hasn't told her he got back from the events of #12 alright. She says she hasn't been idle, but focusing on magic, and makes a cheetah in front of him. He tells her good work, and she jokes darkly about him being a bundle of joy. Clea asks him why he didn't tell her he made it back, and kisses him, saying how she missed him, but he doesn't kiss her back. She asks him what is going on, pushing for clarification on what's wrong with him. He tells her everything is fine, that this is personal. She tells him at the least she is his disciple, at the most his woman, and asks if that's not true. Someone knocks on the door before he can answer, saving him, the narrator even notes this whole thing as being not so healthy for Stephen to do. The guy at the door slits his own throat and Clea helps Stephen save him. oh, okay, NOW you need her help. As Strange goes upstairs later, Clea addresses the issue with Wong. He says that with all his burdens, can any of us really understand Dr Strange? Clea still thinks to herself, what secret could be so terrible that he cannot share it with her? After all she's seen, surely she could comprehend. She wonders, again, if he cares for her, still. Later, Stephen explains to Clea she died and was remade, like everything else in the universe. For some reason, this is his secret, and she loses it? it apparently "strikes too close to the core of her being" k whatever that means. I guess this issue actually taes place before Defenders 39. 16 Clea on the cover again, just like Defenders #39. In hell, Satan (apparently) tells Strange that if he and Clea are not true, they will not survive this. Clea is in a few panels, not doing much. Then she gets strapped to the device from the cover(s), she has one line about how in her own dimension, the lord of evil faces his enemies himself. At one point, Satan dissolves the tower she stands on, sending her falling through the air, before being saved and revealed as a copy of herself. When they do get back on Earth, Stephen tells Clea she must remember the demon only exists if you allow him to. sure. it ends up being some lame lesson about staying away from Satan. 17 cool Clea cover, though you rarely get to see her face clearly on covers James Mandarin is on the run, and Clea stops him. She snaps her fingers, and Strange appears, and snaps them back to the Sanctum. They magic James away. Clea asks Stephen what a Bicentennial is, and Stephen is shocked, because he had just been thinking about that. He says he thinks this is a sign her training is paying off, and she makes a comment about being two separate people. Stephen asks if she's brooding over the former end of the world, and she says his example of defying Satan showed her the folly of negative thinking. She's gotten used to the revelation of her death and rebirth, and she is okay with that. Ugh, then why have made it a big deal in the first place? so lame. When a guest leaves later, they go back to talking about the bicentennial. He wants to teach her the art of time travel! and he begins right now. They fly through time, landing in London, 1618, he says making their way to 1776. I'm not sure the point of this journey? She notes a few things through the pages, like sensing someone in the fog, and noticing Stephen has his "self-assurance" back. They go into the tower of London, he finds the document he's looking for. Clea asks what New Atlantis is about.After he explains, she says it's hardly the America she experienced. She says if anyone can write a fable, what makes this so special? Then the windows fly open. He and Clea join their souls again, fighting the intruder. 18 Clea clings to Stephen's leg on the cover. Clea and Strange leave Sir Francis Drake in the tower of London. They pop up next in London of 150 years later--1775, and they are here for Benjamin Franklin. They see a man who they saw in the last trip, and follow him. Strange tells Clea to be alert, she says "when are we not alert?" When he tells her Franklin was a ladies man, she says he sounds intriguing. When they meet Franklin, he tells Clea Sir Francis Drake failed to capture her charm. Alone later, Clea tries to speak with Stephen, but he is aloof. She demands to know if he loves her, and he says he does, but he is a sorcerer (note: he didn't even say SUPREME, he just said Sorcerer), so he cannot give himself all to her. Here we see the classic trope of a man thinking he's so important that he doesn't have to return the affection and care those around him regularly show him. In the morning, everyone on the ship but them and Franklin are gone. At one point, Clea tells Stephen he shouldn't be so gloomy all the time, and when a pit appears, he leaves her with the other man. Alone together, Franklin asks to pour Clea a drink, and she clarifies that she and Stephen are NOT married. Very interesting. They talk some, he pours her whiskey for breakfast. Cut later to them in the boat, with Franklin learning she's an alien princess, in all technicality. He pinches out the candle and lean in close, then speaks sweet words to seduce her, and I can't tell what she thinks by what she says in return? When Stephen surfaces from the ocean, Clea and Franklin are in a small boat, waiting for him. She rescues him, and stutters around calling Frankllin "Ben," I think we're supposed to assume she slept with him. but that's just....so much WHY. 19 Stephen returns from a trip to find Clea kissing Ben Franklin. Really, guys? HIM? Stephen is crushed, tries to deny it, then questions his feelings. He then starts to think his recent troubles all lead back to Clea, which doesn't make sense, and returns to her. When he tells her it's time to return to their modern time, Ben says she decided to stay with him, and they're engaged. When she responds, she stutters, but agrees. It seems as if she's under a spell. Strange looses it, and attacks Ben. Clea cries out, but he comforts her. It was never Ben Franklin, it was their enemy, Stygyro, who then reveals himself. The villain shows them how powerful he is in several displays, then picks Clea up like a doll and holds her hostage as he fights Strange. Then Stephen gets an idea to who this must be causing these problems. He speaks with the ancient one, then goes back to them, and it's like that allnever happened, including the stuff with Clea and Ben. He and Clea say goodbye to Ben, and they return home. When they arrive, Clea tells him she feels like he's still holding back. He says all will be clear in time, but she has to trust him. She asks how he can be so sure, but they get otside and the whole city is dead skeletons. He says "they" are reminding him he is the only real person around, after the whole remake the universe sheet. After he destroys all the attacking skeletons, Clea turns into one, too, speaking and acting under the evil people's guide. When it's all over, I guess he was stripped of his Supreme powers. Clea asks what happened, an he says he became a man, not a god. She responds good, a woman has needs only a man can satisfy. LOL. Defenders #43, #45-47, #49 43 Doc is missing, so the Defenders go to the Sanctum to have Clea use some of his doctor equipment on their subject. She explains Stephen was given such things to test, back when he was a surgeon. She uses what she has learned from him to help them with their mind-meld thingy. When the contact breaks, she wonders if it worked. *45 the three women are ready to fight the Guardian. They fight a giant stone Stephen Strange, Hellcat tends to say all kinds of really bizarre things like "boogaloo" and "holy cow" and "savvy?" Hellcat saves Red Guardian (female), and they talk among themselves as they fight. Everyone is under the spell of a guy called Rajah. the ladies run into a group of girls trying to save their kidnapped friends and they tell them to go home, they'll take care of it. At the Sanctum, Valkyrie tells Hellcat they must find out why Red Guardian succummed to him and they didn't, Hellcat suggests it's her Communist mentality, and starts in on "my ex-husband used to say..." when Val cuts her off and tells her not to make a harsh judgement based off nationality. Red Guardian walks in, saying she dislikes certain aspects of her government, then says some confusing shit about maybe they're right, I think. Val adds that Hellcat trained with Moondragon so that certainly helped her, and summons Clea. Clea has been trying to contact Doctor Strange since he disappeared, and she tells them that the Red Rajah is, in fact, Doctor Strange! Meanwhile, the Rajah is speaking to his brain-washed disciples, when the girls swoop down on them with Clea; Val is leading. Rajah sends brain-washed heroes after them, Hellcat fights Hulk, then Clea goes after Rajah when he is distracted. The heroes' fight rage gets harder, and Hellcat makes some lame puns, including saying she was almost pulp-in-boots. ha? Clea finally breaks through mentally to Doctor Strange, freeing him and everyone under Rajah's influence. Clea speaks with Stephen on what happened--he says that being himself means sometimes being open to evil influence. It ends and he announces he must leave the Defenders team. 46 after announcing he will leave the team, Doctor strange explains his decision. His powers are diminished (no longer Sorcerer Supreme), and the team is too reliant on him. Then Luke Cage and Red Guardian say they're leaving the team, too. Luke because he says hes a loner, and Tania (RG) because she's needed as a Doctor in Russia. Since they're leaving, Hellcat says she wouldn't mind "pussy-footing around" with the Defenders for a while. Valkyrie says they need to relocate from the Sanctum since Stephen won't be a member, so Nighthawk suggest the old Riding Academy. Hellcat thinks to herself that this team is just as weird as the Avengers and she loves it. On the ride to their new digs, Val tells Hellcat not to grip her horse's flank so tightly with her claws. When they arrive, she notes that it's nicer than the Avengers mansion. They go inside and Scorpio is there, They fight, Hellcat has her weird extentable claw strings. 47 Valkyrie and Hellcat take off on her pegasus. Valkyrie shows up to the Sanctum looking for Clea, i guess because the outfit she designed for Val wasn't appearing when she draws her sword. Clea fixes it, and changes up the outfit for her again to have legs and more white. Meanwhile, Hellcat goes to Avengers Mansion. She runs into Wonder Man, not knowing he recently joined the Avengers. They fight, meanwhile Jack shows up for help from Clea and Val. They all head to the mansion, finding Wonder Man rescuing Hellcat from under fallen debris. They fight him initially, until Hellcat wakes up and say he saved her. She pulls up a video file on the computer of Iron Man stating she and Moondragon will always be welcome on the team. 48 Clea isn't actually in this one. Hellcat and Val have a nice moment together, though. 49 at the riding academy, Hellcat is "so nervous" she can't even make coffee. Valkyrie walks in to talk to her, just as Clea's head forms near Hellcat, an aparition hear to speak with them. She tells them Moon Knight is at the Sanctum waiting for them, and they must come at once. Hellcat says she feels grungy from sleeping in her suit, "if you know what I mean," and they head off. They meet outside the Sanctum, and Hellcat says Aragorn, Val's horse, is staying t the Sanctum with Clea. Patsy refers to herelf during a fight with Hulk as the Happy-Go lucky Hellcat. Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) #13 (Christmas special) Clea and other Defenders greet Hulk with a Christmas Surprise party. She gives him a gift and wishes him well. Doctor Strange #20 Strange and Clea walk through the Museum of Natural History. Clea confirms with him the message they received said to go to the Roman wing of the building. Clea asks Stephen if he's just being extra edgy since losing his extra powers. Then she notices the art, stating how different Roman art is from the art in her dimension. Then the statues comes to life and attack them, and Stephen defends them. The statues escape with Clea. He finds her in a Sarcophagus, and when police show up after he goes ofF again, and she doesn't remember who she is. She winds up in a police station overnight, where some lady called Bertha gets rough with her. She sends Bertha through a wall, then realizes she can escape that way, too. A homeless man asks Clea for money, and she turns him into a pig. She is approached by police at the end, and warns them to stay away from her. Doctor Strange Annual #1 Clea cover, stuck in a magic bubble (takes place before issue 20) Stephen ponders on the distance that has grown between himself and Clea. She comes into the room then and actually addresses it herself, but he cannot answer well. She reminds him "all work and no play." Stephen continues to pout after she leaves. The rest of the issue is Stephen stuff, introduction of Lectra of Phase World. At one point, when she's losing, she reveals Clea. Strange believes that it's her right off the bat. It ends up not being her. Doctor Strange #22 Clea faces off with Police, turning their guns into snakes. She tells them they tried to take her captive but she doesn't even know who she is, and will not be confined. She says she will now bow, will not be subservient, but she can make them bow to her, and she does. They call her a witch, and she says Maybe I Am. She thinks she could be a sorceress, but she has no memory of fighting these people. She says fighting and calling them fools feels wrong, but she cannot be swayed by what she once was. She draws forth monsters from sewers to attack humans, as Strange finds her on the mystic whatsit, and he must stop her. Because apparently it's her fault that she's the victim. When he arrives, his familiarity angers her. He says he doesn't want to fight and she doesn't believe him. She attacks him with a warrior she creates. He tries to cure her, she feigns pain and he releases his hold on her, allowing her to free herself again. She attacks him with the street lamps, he has to freeze her in a moment of time to stop her briefly. He enters her mind and clears the madness, which took the form of a dark, many-limed monster. When he comes back, she can't remember what happened. Meanwhile, a character called Apalla, queen of the sun, decides it's not time to meet Clea, yet. *Defenders #53 Hellcat and some other Defenders are underwater in helmets. Thre's some talk with Namor but nothing important. At the Sanctum, Clea pours coffee for herself and Valkyrie. She is there to know if the other Defenders are okay, and Clea can only tell her basically "it is what it is". Clea tells the dishes to begone, and Val goes, as well. Under the water, Hellcat tells Namor this radiation stuff sounds scary. She's kind of just the butt of jokes at this point. This next part is called "Clea, the Mystic Maiden!" In Central Park, a mugger corners Clea, in her normal clothes but with a human coat. She attacks him with a magic bolt, he shoots her but she is protected by a shield. After she takes him down, he transforms and attacks Clea magically, knocking her out. Clea wakes in a church, where the man Nicodemus intends on stealing her power for himself, so he can beat Dr Strange. He succeeds and drains her of powers. He unties her, now that she is powerless, and she asks what he intends to do with her. He says he can think of a much better position for her than death (rapey much?), she thinks his own line back to him, about thinking him careless as he strikes, as she herself grabs a statue and hits him over the head with it, knocking him out. Doctor Strange #24-29 24 A guy named Xander was the one to make Clea lose her mind in the last issues. A young girl walks into the sanctum and magically asks Wong where Clea is, so she can tell her where Dr Strange is. Clea says she told Wong she was not to be disturbed for any reason, but she can see Strange in the orb. Clea says to the girl where Stephen lies, wounded, and the girl identifies herself as Apalla, queen of the sun, and thanks her before leaving. This is the second, at least, powerful female figure that has approached Clea specifically before Strange, the first being Gaia. Clea mentions to Wong after that she fears all she loves is falling into nightmare. Clea does not appear in the rest of the issue, which is a "second dream" of Strange fighting alongside Apalla. 25 tiny Clea on the cover Clea arrives and asks Strange if he's okay. He isn't, but then he is, and helps them escape the collapsing dream realm. They rest on an asteroid when he gets tired. Clea asks what happened, he says he failed his own galaxy. He tells her of Apalla helping him fight the "Creators." Later on, Clea tells Stephen of how after she and Wong saw Apalla leave, they watched him battle through the orb. They watched him destroy the wheel of creation, and Clea felt she'd need to protect them and surrounded them in a globe of protection right as the world exploded. She says the shattered world formed itself into something indescribable. They find that Earth is still there, but buildings are warped, and people are half-animal. They disguise themselves as a pride of lion-people, but the crowd recognizes him and chases them. They have to fly off, and Stephen calls it petty that the Creators would hinder him in such a way. They return to the Sanctum, which they find is unharmed. They're interrupted by a version of Stephen that has a boar's head, and Clea tries to fight it, but Stephen steps in and beats it. 26 Clea headshot cover Clea ends up having to fight the boar-Strange when the real one is off somewhere else. The Ancient One returns. 27 minor Clea cover The Boar-Stephen hasn't bothered Clea and Wong since she cast a "psyche-sphere" around it. They are talking and the Ancient One suddenly arrives in front of them. He tells them, Stephen has set out to right the Cosmos. 28 Clea's hair seems to be randomly curly, depending on the issue. Now, she and Wong watch as the Ancient one...watches Strange. Clea asks about who this new villain is, the In-Betweener; later on, she insists they help him and she splays out across the page bent in half. When Strange arrives back on earth after the fight, Clea and the other greet them, and she is suddenly wearing a cape. She asks Stephen if his power has returned, and he says it never left. Clea asks if he's sorcerer supreme again, he says no one can be. ok. whatever man. *29 Clea and the doctor are in weird sultry robes. Think--Barda and Scott on their honeymoon. Wong interrupts while they kiss, he has a phone call from the Avengers. Strange tells them of Thanos. When he hangs up, Clea is pleased she can get him to herself again, but then someone crawls along their window and breaks in--Nighthawk. He asks if he's interrupting, he clearly is but they say no. In one page, as Stephen takes off without her to help Nighthawk, Clea tries to tag along, and he denies her, speaking as if it would diminish her night. After he leaves, Clea thinks to herself how frustrated she is that he seems to forget she's not just his lover, but his disciple. She thinks to herself there will soon be a reckoning, as she can't continue thus for long. Defenders #57 Ms Marvel "Female Fury" cover, small Hellcat cover refers to Carol as the Female Fury. the year is 1977. In a flashback, some kind of apparition of Ms Marvel's head has appeared in the Sanctum Sanctorum, and Hulk is raging the fuck out. Now, psychiatrist Michael Barnett sits at a bar and watches Ms Marvel fight on TV. Patsy and Kyle are coming home from dinner and are attacked, so they transform into Nighthawk and Hellcat. The person who broke in was Ms Marvel. Hellcat says she saw her on the cover of Woman magazine, calling her the hero sensation of the seventies. An interesting note is that Ms Marvel says things like "hala" in place of when someone might say "oh, hell", and refers to herself as Kree, or having Kree abilities, fairly often. She even mentions her seventh sense. The story in this is that Mar-Vell is under attack by a Kree sentry, and the Defenders are helping out, plus Ms Marvel. Clea appears in the Sanctum, waiting for Strange to return from one of his adventures when the Hulk busts through. Hulk calls Val "sword-girl" and Clea "witch-girl." Clea attacks an attacker with"fearsome flames of the Faltine". Nighthawk calls Ms Marvel and Hellcat to the fight, Ms Marvel thinks to herself that this attack from AIM is meant for Carol Danvers. Hellcat has some moments of Spider-Man style fighting quips. Back at the Sanctum, Clea asks how Ms Marvel was able to communicate with the orb the way she did at the beginning. She says it must have been her seventh sense reaching out to it. Ghost Rider #30-31 30 Clea sense that Strange is in need of help, transofrms into her suit, and flies off. Her hair is notably flat. A police officer tells her it's too dangerous for a woman, she says she'll be fine and flings him away before disappearing into a wall. she thinks to herself that her own powers are parlor tricks compared to stephens, not giving herself enough credit. In hell, Ghost Rider is about to blast Stephen's face off when Clea intervenes, saving him at the last moment. He then enters the Riders' mind, and when he exits, Clea runs to his aid. SHe tells him he must use Magic to save himself, but it turns out he and Johnny Blaze switched bodies. 31 though Stephen isn't in his own body, the Ghost Rider smacks Clea, knocking her out? Apparently it is Dormammu in Ghost Rider's body. it gets solved eventually, Clea is just kind of in the back of a handful of panels. Doctor Strange #30-33 *30 clea cover, in part Clea walks in to talk to Stephen. She is portrayed again as a windswept sultry lover lady, with slits up her thighs on the dress she wears. She asks if he needs her assistance, and he denies her again. She retorts that she wonders if he ever needed her, and slams the door behind her. Here we are starting to more clearly see Clea's frustration with her lover, who she left everything for to love, yes, but more importantly, to learn and broaden her own horizons as an individual with magical abilities. But, it's been a while since her partner has acknowledged that side of their relationship. After she leaves, Stephen catches up to her on the street, as she is visually hurt. SHe cries out with all her issues, that she is still a magic user and whatnot, and he agrees that she is right, and he is overly protective. She forgives him, they embrace, then they are attacked by creatures that steal Strange away into a hole in the ground. She stares in disbelief before transforming into her normal outfit and leaping into the hole after him. She's got the cape, again. She reaches some goopy horror in the sewers thats absorbing Stephen. She is captured, too, although he warns her not to be afraid. She cannot relax, so they join one another on the astral plane. Outside her body, she understands, and stops being afraid. They return to their bodies, but the demons aren't defeated. They attack the demons together, turning them back into the mortal men they once were. 31 When strange is attacked, Clea steps in to save him, dressed in a weirdly tousled version of her outfit. She cannot beat the enemy, and Alaric the enemy tries to make off with her, so Strange has to stop him. They escape in the end, and Clea and Stephen embrace. 32 I guess the sleeveless thing is what she wears now. After Namor takes off, Clea asks to go rest, because she's been up conjuring for days. Later, she finds him looking at some mirrors, preparing for a conjuring. She says if she is his disciple, she should help, so she does. A demonic bird attacks, Clea falls over. Attackers come from within the mirrors. 33 Clea partial cover in a new outfit, very gypsy-like uhhh how did Clea go from wearing a thick nightgown to wearing a skimpy lingerie piece in a moment? k. they even go as far as to flop her on to the ground and have Stephen mention she can't handle herself. This is low key offensive. She eventually breaks free. She struggle sand asks for help again, and Stephen thinks to himself that she is not the Clea he knows, even thinking her behavior is a betrayal of his tutelage. Not long later, she fades into mist before his eyes. It's honestly a boring story. *Marvel Team-Up #76-77 76 (Title: Spider-Man and Doctor Strange) Spider-Man flies by the Sanctum while Strange is doing a Tarot reading and he cries out to him unwillingly. Clea comes in and gently reminds Stephen he's been working all day and he needs to relax. In response, Strange literally tells her, "Not now, Clea, I'm busy." So she shuts him down, reminding him much less gently that he already promised her tht he wouldn't shut her out again, either as his disciple or lover. Stephen realizes he fucked up and Clea storms out. What a dolt. Carol Danvers is still editor of Woman Magazine, here we see her crossing the street in NY. She's still using "by Hala" as a term, similar to how Wonder-Woman would use her own catch-phrases. Carol gets shoved into Wong, who she met after the events of Defenders #57. Back at the Sanctum, Strange interprets the Tarot reading as saying he will lose that which he holds most dear. Just then, Clea spots something and tries to warn Stephen, and a giant demon bursts through the Orb of Agamotto. It attacks Clea and Stephen, mentally and as well as physically. Stephen casts a spell but it doesn't take. Clea calls out that the mosnter stealing her soul, and it does rip it out of her. Through their connection, Stephen feels the worst pain he's ever felt, more than he can handle. But the thing is, Clea is the true victim here, but they write it like the victim is Stephen. K. Out on the street, Carol speaks with Wong. She wants to ask about Doctor Strange, but that would reveal her secret identity. Carol is helping Wong pick up his groceries when he gets a mental call for help from Stephen, and runs off without his groceries. Carol notices his panic and figures she better find out what's going on. As Wong runs off, he bumps into Peter Parker, who recognizes him and also realizes that something is wrong. Parker changes into his suit but by the time he gets to the Sanctum, both Stephen and Clea are unconscious on the ground. Wong is there, too, and doesn't know what happened. Before long, Ms Marvel shows up in her new costume (lightning bolt suit), so Spidey demands she prove who she is, as if no one else could wear a spider suit, either--which Carol then points out, and Spider-Man realizes his comment was dumb and takes her word for who she is. Strange whimpers for help, and Ms Marvel says she'll take Clea to the next room. Strange is able to revive himself temporarily with a spell, but can't do it for Clea because her soul has been taken. Strange then takes Ms Marvel and Spider-Man with him to New Orleans, leaving Clea's body alone. Upon their arrival, Strange magic's them into disguises, making Carol a black woman? The woman who sent the tarot cards from earlier was the Witch Queen of New Orleans. They go to speak with her, and during their talk, Strange gets a psychic vision of Clea's body being taken by Silver Dagger's people from where he left her in the Sanctum. WHOOPS. idiot. 77 (title: Spiderman and Ms Marvel) The issue starts by reviewing how Doctor Strange came here to Marie Laveau's Sanctum to get help restoring Clea's soul from the person who predicted it would happen. Strange ends up trapped in a trance with her, while the disquises of Ms Marvel and Spider-Man wear off. The two end up having to fight and protect his body when followers of Laveau break in to kill them. Spider-Man notes her costume isn't the only thing that's changed with Ms Marvel, and that she sounds more sure of herself. Then the Witch Queen teleports in Silver Dagger, literally one of the most homosexual looking characters I've ever seen. He looks like an old, buff, power bottom. Seriously. Strange finds Clea ties naked to a pole? But is too late as she has been stripped and set on fire. What. the fuck. She screams in pain and the fire turns her into a fire demon lady. It says that what died in the fire was the Clea Doctor Strange had loved, and THIS is the Clea that might have been, should her mother Umar have raised her, not her father. Her mother is Umar, and like Umar, Clea now hates Strange. She has immense power that Strange claims she "shouldn't" have, like he's the Magic Police. Basically, this is Clea if she chose to reatain her Faltine form over her human one. Carol and Spider-Man break free from the Silver Dagger and spend a good while fighting them. Ms Marvel waits until he's distracted with Spider-Man and attacks, thinking how she'll make him eat his threats. Stephen is taunted by the evil Clea, and doesn't know what to do. He tries a lesser spell on her, and she is surprised but laughs. Stephen thinks to himself how the spell that did this to Clea was masterful, forcing him to sacrifice himself or kill the woman he loves. I'm not sure how things suddenly get fixed. It appears that other parts of Marvel New York start popping up in this realm and they get pushed out? idk. But they all get out and stephen restores Clea's soul. As they kiss, Strange wonders if the demon Clea he saw was a spell or a reflection of some part of her inner feelings, and worries about her being able to weild that much power. Hmph. Mister Magic Police over here. I guess Marie Laveux, the Witch Queen, was fake helping Silver Dagger and betrayed him to save them. As she leaves, she warns him to heed the final card in the deck, which he tells Clea was nothing to worry about. In truth, it predicted his total destruction. Avengers Annual #8 starring Dr Strange, Thundra, and Ms Marvel. At Avengers Mansion, Janet is possessed by Doctor Specrum! Later, Beast, Captain America, Ms Marvel, and Black Panther burst in on the scene to help. They fight a lot and go to Strange for help, but he can't, he's busy training Clea and doesn't trust her to work alone. Loser. *Marvel Team-Up #80-81 80 (title: Spider-Man, Dr Strange, and Clea) Clea cover Spider-Man shows up to the Sanctum Sanctorum, surprising Clea, who is in her nightgown or something. He asks if Stephen is there and she gets awkward and says no and slams the door in his face. Spider-Man remembers the events of issues #76-77, and also flashing back to Silver Dagger originally having stolen Clea in Doctor Strange #5, with the Bondage cover. He see's Stephen walking into the sanctum then, and looks through the window to investigate. He see's Clea beg him to stop hurting her, and Strange slaps her. Spidey goes in to defend her but has trouble fighting Strange, until Clea steps in and helps by using magic. Wong comes in then, and Spider-Man finds hairy palms on Stephen. Clea says his ideas of lycanthropy are insane, and the men talk her into using magic to try and help him. When she reaches out to his mind through the eye of Agamotto, she finds that it is true, and weeps for him. She asks the two men to leave her alone with him, and cries over the body alone. The men take Strange to a plane, but he turns into a werewolf. Meanwhile, Satana shows up at the sanctum to judge the soul of Stephen strange and perhaps kill him! She looks amazingly ridiculous, toning down Clea's look just by being in the room. 81 (title: Spider-Man and Satana) Satana casts a spell to see what is happening with Strange while Clea watches from a nearby chair. After she summons the other men there, Clea asks why Satanna, a villain, is helping Strange, a hero. Satanna responds that it amuses her, or perhaps she is changing. When it is over, Clea rushes to embrace Stephen. Satana sacrificed herself to save his soul (this is the official Death of Statana). *Doctor Strange #35-40; #42-44 *35 It starts by briefly going over the mystery of the Black Knight, who lies "dead" as stone beneath Avengers mansion. Clea stands with Cap and Iron Man as they watch Strange look at it/him. As Stephen messes with Magic trying to make the Black Knight whole again, we can see Clea has a new outfit variation again--instead of sleeves, she has arm...frills, going from shoulder to wrist. The group of them take the BK sword and head off. Stephen is going to study the sword, but Dane will stay there. As they walk, Strange asks Clea if she understands the implications of this sword, and they transform into street clothes. They change back into their sorcerer's garb when the street is attacked by some monster, who is posessing a guy off the street. Clea and Strange fight off the demon, which Clea vanquishes with blinding light. The second demon that arrives has no such weakness, and when it looks like Strange has lost, Clea grabs the sword of the Black Knight and hits him with it, allowing Stephen to take it up to finish him off. One of the monsters was called Dweller. Meanwhile, back at the sanctum, a man arrives and tells Wong he must speak with Doctor Stephen Sanders--the identity of Strange which Eternity himself erased from humanity's memory. *36 Clea's head is visible on the cover Stephen, Clea, and Mr Adams (the guy from the end of the last issue) are in a small plane. Clea tells Adams that Stephen is in his astral form, not unconscious. It goes on a flashback filling in how they got here, after talking with Adams. Clea checks on the Black Knight's stone body, in the plane with them. When they meet Adams' lady friend, Msrcia, Clea tells Strange she senses something odd about that woman. Ningal messed with her family, he says, which is why she has no shadow. Clea and strange arrive at the mansion of Victoria Bentley. Strange embraces her and Clea thinks to herself how she never much liked Victoria, because of her infatuation with Steohen and sense of drama. Oh, it's actually Dane Whitman's house, but Victoria's keeping it in shape while he's stone. Clea and Stephen start a ritual, then the doorbell rings and Victoria answers. It's delivery men dropping off the box with Dan'e body/statue. She can't help but look inside, even though she knows she isn't supposed to, and downstairs, Clea and Strange hear a scream come from her. When they go to investigate, they see Victoria's unconcious body being held by the stone Black Knight, except his face has been replaced by that of Ningal. *37Clea cover Ningal explains he possess this body now, and Stephen gets to breaking it apart. After, Victoria goes to Stephen for comfort. Clea notices, mentally wondering if it is something more than fear driving her to him. Even Stephen gets awkward about it, asking if Clea would like to help Victoria to a chair as he starts putting the fragments back together. Then, the pieces start to reform on their own, as Clea points out. Ningal reassembled faster than they thought, and pummels at the barrier they put up. Oh, and Clea has been back in her normal outfit for a while, too. Not sure why so many variants, but ok. Ningal breaks the floor open to get to them instead of through the barrier, so Stephen tells Clea to protect Victoria, who is freaking out, while he fights. Clea responds blandly how protecting Victoria is the most important thing to him. They go off, Victoria cries that they must help Stephen. Clea tells her the best way they can help is by staying out of the way and staying quiet--and she puts a spell on her so she can't talk. When the fight is over, Strange says he is no closer to discovering their tormenter. He tells her there are things he must consider, meaning he needs to be left alone. She says As You Wish. **38 Blah blah inner torment of Stephen Strange blah blah. Clea gets introduced through narration as a being not of this earth, and that her mother is an enemy of Strange although neither of them know it. Clea tries on a necklace in a green dress and says "not bad, not bad at all." Narration explains that she has "fallen under the spell" of the beautiful night, and that she plans to enjoy it, but not alone. She thinks to herself that still after all this time, she feels awkward in human clothes, but hopes Stephen likes what he sees, assuming he even looks at her. As she walks down the hall, she thinks about how he's been so distant since they came back from that last trip. She knows he says he loves her and he will accept her aid as a sorcerer, but he rarely "allows me to give anything of my...self" which I'm pretty sure means fucking. She adds that she sometimes has to force Stephen even to talk to her. Clea arrives to Strange's bedroom/inner Sanctum door, which she finds sealed by an enchantment. She gathers herself before breaking the enchantment to get inside. She intends to draw his spirit back to his body, although it will take all her power. She is breaking his concentration and taking him back to earth so she can talk to him. She checks for danger before casting this spell, and sees that all is peaceful. His Pentagram bursts into flames, and then he is there, shocked and surprised. Clea laughs at him sprawled across the floor as he demands an explanation as to why she disturbed his meditation, like being his soul-partner isn't enough. She says she did it because she loves him and was concerned about him, and if he has no thought of her as disciple, he should at least not shut out the woman he loves. Strange thinks to himself that he's never seen her so upset, I can't help but think about how this is about the third or fourth time they've had this argument. He tells her something happened to him in England, and he's started doubting himself. They go out to a "literary bar" called Hells Bells, where they are dancing. They bump into Sarah Wolfe, their neighbor and Stephen's old friend. She says her boyfriend Doug has been drinking at the bar all night, and she knows something is up. No one in the group sees Doug approached by some guy but Doug punches him and then runs off. He's stopped outside by the stranger's sister, and the group still inside hear him scream. When they arrive, all that's left of him are ashes. Clea brings Stephen tea as dawn approaches at the sanctum and he still looks for an answer as to what happened to Doug. He discovers their lair, and off they go. They fight the evil siblings, who are a different kind of magical, and Strange ends up using the light of Agamotto to scare them off. When Strange and Clea arrive back at the sanctum, his old friend Alfeo is there, with a warning that Baron Mordo is back. Clea wonder where Wong is and how this man got past Stephen's magical defenses without him. *39 They find a fake Mordo in Stephen's chair at the Sanctum, Clea and Alfeo talk about why Stephen is so closed off. Clea offers Strange a kiss or a hug to make things better, and he asks what that will do to help save the world. She counters maybe it won't do that but it might help make him feel better, and he apologizes. They kiss, and the narration notes, notably, that both of them wish they had more moments like this, but they know it is a hope in vain. huh. Strange and his friend leave the next morning. Clea stay in NY to look for Wong, who left the other day for a personal errand and has yet to return. She asks around Chinatown for the person he was meeting, but no one wants to answer her questions. An interesting note is in this issue and the last, Clea has said "whats the term" or something similar, like she doesn't originally speak English. Specifically for the word Gangster in this issue. Yet as far as I can tell, she and Strange never needed translators, so why would she need to have learned a new language now? Does her world not have an equivalent to gangs? When Clea finds the correct address, the man who answers the door denies knowing Wong. As she leaves, the men inside speak in Chinese about teaching how they should teach her a lesson. Clea knows they were lying, because she sensed Wong's psychic aura as soon as she entered the room. Suddenly she is being chased by Dormammu's demons, so she turns and runs, bumping into Sarah Wolfe from last night. Clea asks for help, and Wolfe thinks she's talking about the men who are chasing her. They get in a cab, but the driver turns out to be a Dormammu demon. They still get to the Sanctum okay, and Clea locks herself in Strange's office while Wolfe just kinda hangs around. Clea is actually using a spell to keep Sarah there because she has a feling she'll need her, and now uses the Orb to see what is up with Wong--he is being kept prisoner. Clea cannot maintain contact for long and ends up breaking it off, and cannot get a message to Stephen either. Later, Clea has told Sarah everything of who and what they are, but Sarah isn't surprised because she's full blooded Cheyenne, and is related to a great shaman. She agrees to help Clea, and they transfer their appearances. Sara (Clea) heads out and the wraiths--waiting for CLea-- don't follow her. *40 Sarah, dressed as Clea, answers the phone when Strange calls, telling him the plan she and Clea were doing. Clea is on the hunt for Wong and is already 200 miles north from the city, having used Stephen's safe cash and a horse to get this far. She is achy from the ride and decides she needs Stephen to teach her how to drive a car when she gets back. She spies on a hosue with the lights out, no one is home it would seem. Then someone shoots at Clea and she falls off the rocks, unconscious. 42 Stephen and this Madeline woman have a romantic history, with him proposing to her years ago, but she turns him down because she thinks he's becoming too greedy. Stephen says he loved her once, and gets all cozy next to her, saying he loved her back when he knew what that word meant. Strange kisses her as he says goodbye, and agrees with her that a person can love two people at the same time, since she loves him and her husband, and he loves her and Clea. hmmmmmokay buddy. He returns to the Sanctum and finds Sarah sleeping in Clea's clothes, he waits for her to wake in order to magic her into a fancy dress. Sarah recounts the events that got her there, and they have wine together. It's interesting how Sarah is characterized as a voice of reason often for Strange and Clea, but also as a bit of an immature slob, with her making a mess of the Sanctum when left there alone, and that she's on a job hunt, etc. They also color her with full on red skin, which is obviously.problematic. Strange also takes a moment to show off his collection of 10 pound gold bars, which comes off super braggy, instead of explanatory as I'm sure it was intended. The next morning, he follows Clea's trail to where she was attacked. He senses her psychic signature, but sees no one until a big red truck rams him of the road and into a ditch. Stephen fights them, calling themselves the Brotherhood of the Golden Dragon, then when he takes over the house he is able to find out where to go next based on "a long, meticulous" read. He seems to spend a lot of time stopping and sitting still when he needs action. By the end, he goes through the Black Mirror, which is a doorway to countless universes. He apprives in am emty land, before being struck by bandits, and Clea is with them, wearing a Red Sonja style 'fit watching. It's the only panel she is in for this issue. *43 tiny clea head on the cover. Clea only barely realizes Stephen is there before he gets out of the executioners grip. He doesn't see her, but knows she must be nearby. She calls out to him and he grabs her and kisses her. She introduces him to Bayan, who makes the sign of Vishanti to prove he is not evil, and Strange does the same. Bayan apologizes for the rude reception, and Clea recounts how shefound Wong being held by 4 sorerers, escaped, then she and Wong got separated, something to do with this realm's Shadowqueen who wants to use her as a hostage, but they yeah got separated. She tells Strange this was all weeks ago, what took so long? They all break into the castle to save Wong and Stephen uses the eye of Agamotto as a light to save them again. Sure is a good one-all fix. Clea gets trapped and yries to use the same light to drive off the creatures but it isn't enough, and Stephen has tosave her but see's that she is upset. CLea is upset that even though she is his disciple, Strange continues to have to save her. I'd say this is more due to the lover aspect of their relationship, as it makes her a target. THey find out that Bayan is a Wizard who goes by Silver Fox. Lots of "Silver" character back in the day. The group of them catch up with Wong and prepare their escape. 44 During the battle with Shadowqueen, Clea helps cast some spells, like the rings of raggador. Her arm starts to turn gargoyle when one of the creatures touch her, but then her body rejects that spell, making Clea think on how she isn't from this word, and isn't entirely human, either. After the battle is over, Clea has to uss the eye of Agamotto to cleanse Stephen's soul of evil, which it says she does carefully and methodically. She and Stephen embrace when it is done. Defenders #70-75, #78, #80, #84-85 70 Hellcat and Val go off on Pegasus after a hard day's work. Valkyrie is still in the suit Clea made for her; they arrive at their old riding academy that serves as their HQ. Val has been invited to her former university (Empire State University) midnight ball, Hellcat is excited about the idea. At the Sanctum, Strange and Hulk are doing a thing when Clea walks in. She is back to sleeveless on her costume. The men tell Clea they are going on a journey--all she is featured for in this issue. <Meanwhile, Patsy and Val are going to the dance. There is some commotion so Patsy and Val go for a walk outside, and end up chasing someone through the garden. They call up Kyle/Nighthawk and tell him to como help them out, he makes a lame joke about being rich that doesn't work, IMO. The villain they're chasing is the one called Lunatik. Val fights him while Hellcat waits for Kyle, but she can't wait any longer. She attacks the now lone Lunatik, saying she's the "heart throbbin' hellcat" more like dick throbbin' amirite? Ha. She requests Dolly Parton on his singing radio (he just sings. and pretends to be a radio/DJ) but he says no. Patsy has good taste! Hellcat and Lunatik fight. After Kyle/Nighthawk fights Lunatik as well, the three Defenders meet up and it turns out there are 3 Lunatiks and they each got beat by their respective Defenders fighters. Then the "real" Lunatik comes out of the crowd and submits to them. oooook.> *71 The Defenders, Hellcat included, discuss their issues with the various Lunatiks. At the Sanctum, Clea (still in a sleevless top with like tassels) awaits the Defenders, who called to let her know they are on the way. She is here to help them in liu of Strange, who is on a mysterious mission. She thinks to herself how he has left her behind yet again, despite their conversations--and she specifies promises--made to the contrary. Clearly she is not too pleased with this. She wonders if the Defenders would take her as a member, as she knows she could handle herself on the team. When they arrive, Clea hers their story, and decides these Lunatiks are all fragments of the real one, and they must find the other fragments to put them all together. She leads the Defenders to where they believe Lunatik is, based on Strange's books. She casts the spell and they go to a world like the circulr ones from Interstellar. Clea is drawn with thick wavy hair. She assists Val and Patsy with an incantation to understand what the locals are saying, but then they are attacked by bird riders and Clea blames herself for not being good enough for the Defenders, before she too is knocked down. She continues to fight, noting that this place is affecting their thoughts. To further prove that, Hellcat gets confused and then taken as hostage by the many Lunatiks! THe Hulk shows up, then Doctor Strange pops up in an old wizard disguise, and Clea greets him happily. He calms her concerns, but they still have to find Val and Hellcat. 72 Valkyrie, atop Pegasus, chases the Lunatiks who took Hellcat, who are on horseback themselves. Clea and the others plan their strike, while she still blames herself. They do eventually get Hellcat back alright, and she asks Strange why they wanted her. Strange says it is because of her mystic capabilities, which they planned to make use of. They fight their way into the sky and float around in the clouds a little bit. 73 Still in the strange land, the Defenders head to the castle, Nightwing and Strange carry Clea while they fly in the most awkward carrying style they could have possibly drawn--it looks like they're holding a plant of wood between them. On the ground with the rest of the team, they fight some freaky looking multi-eyed furry blob creatures. Hellcat jumps around in a circle and upwards then down on a creature, saying somethig ridicuous like how she's the "non-high-falutin'" Hellcat. She notes how the landing didn't hurt the creature she landed on, and Clea agrees that their physical attacks should be relaced with magical ones, but Strange says they cannot for complicated reasons. The lettering is generlly very poorly placed. They get into the castle and then into the Wizard's city--the wizard is one of the creatures but dressed up and he talk like Yoda. They put the fragments of the Lunatiks together and they form Tyrk, the God King of the Other Realm, apparently. They all fight him and they win. The whole group winds up back at the base once Strange transports them. He takes off anf leaves Clea in his place. Nighthawk and Hulk go as well, leabing the women alone. Hellcat, Val, and Clea are all going to hang out and listen to records. I LOVE their friendship.They play the record "Whiter Shade of Pale" 74 The ladies are still hanging out, at the Defenders base. Clea tells a funny story about Stephen and they all laugh, with Val saying she feels wicked making fu of the weaker sex! Love it. They are interrupted by Kyle and his lawyer. Patsy, Val, and CLea have clearly been drinking, when Kyle says he is going to leave the Defenders they all act like it's the most upsetting thing they've ever heard. Yep, they toasty. Clea is really brought down by it, too, and Kyle goes ahead and leaves. Later, Hellcat stops intruders in the barn. Even later, the three women are back talking together at the headquarters. Clea's hair is now straighter and slightly longer like her thick waves from previous issues deflated. They're setting up the meeting room, and Patsy is still sad about Kyle. Val calms her, and starts to say Clea can stick around more but the bell rings. Bill walks in and says Foolkiller needs a job, then as Val starts to invite him to join them, he stops her and says he's really here to destroy them. 75 Foolkiller has shot Valkyrie's sword from her hand. Clea could stop him, but he has a gun to Dollar Bill's head, and she trusts Val's judgement in warning her not to because she is the new team leader (they must have discussed this over their partying), even though she thinks she could do it. They all go into the meeting room as his hostages and doesn not permit the "non-Defenders" to go, should they raise the alarm. Val takes her moment to run when Foolkiller gets distracted with the TV, so he shoots at her and Hellcat calls him a turkey when he is actually able to stun her. Clea makes a move to fght him now, but Foolkiller ends up bringing the whole building down, with everyone saving themselves in the nick of time. Clea is knocked out by debris. Hellcat fights foolkiller solo, including lifting and throwing a sofa at him. He chases her out of the building, or rather she leads him away so the other can get out, too. Val carries Clea bridal style. Hellcat continues to distract Foolkiller until Val gets the better of him. Clea wakes up and starts dulling the flames of Kyle's house while firefighters set up their equipment. As Nighthawk flies in, Hellcat notices her sash wasn't even singed and Clea tells the firemen the owner is on his way. Nighthawk gets mad about all this and says the Defenders are done, announces it on TV and everything all though the lady calls him Hawkeye lol. Hellcat consoles Val who is upset about doing a bad first day of leading the team, and Patsy says they can still work together. *78 Clea sits in a coffee shop by herself, thinking about how she hates that she's been left alone by Stephen again in an unfamiliar world. She remembers Valkyrie's offer to join her new Defenders team, and ponders on that. In space, Moondragon gets rid of a body. On earth, Hellcat calls herself the "hoppin mad Hellcat" because she is mad Moondragon took away her mental powers. In the quinjet later, Hellcat says the first thing she's going to do it get her hair done. Val suggests after that she take their situation into consideration, and how Patsy might be better off without her. Hellcat disagrees, saying they have super-heroing in their blood and don't fit into normal society. They fight some ladies. Hank gets taken. *80 Bored as hell, Clea finds Val's horse Aragorn and decides to go for a ride to distract herself from everyone being potentially in peril. Once again, Stephen has left her behind. She says since she is denied her loved ones and friends, she will take to the skies, and so they do. Still, as she flies about, she worries about the others. She is wearing long sleeves on her top again, but still has the tassle/scarf thing. 84 When Stephen finally returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum and Clea, he is sad she has company over. Well duh, you left her alone for like months of comic time!! Clea is thrilled to see him, Hellcat and Val are with her. Val still wears the suit Clea gave her. Patsy jokes the three of them are the first meeting of the new Defenders, and asks Stephen if he wants to join. 85 Hellcat is staking out the Wakandan embassy. She ponders how to get closer, but a security guard spots her on the roof, thinking she's a spy. She shows him her Avengers card and he says she's not a real Avenger, takes the card. She thinks to herself how its good she has many of them. She runs for it and crashes through a window of the consulate. Clea appears in the background of a few panels, she appears to be helping with Bruce. She tells Bruce he can stay with she and Stephen in their guest room. The three women of the Defenders and T'challa go to attack Mandrill. The women take over the fight as he goes inside, but he gets captured and the plane starts taking off. Hellcat gets inside to save him, Val and Clea ride aragorn to the plane but Val falls, Clea catches her and sends a psychic memo to Stephen for help. They all get away okay in the end. *Doctor Strange #45 tiny, orange-haired Clea on the cover At the Plaza, Strange waits for Clea before date night, annoyed that she's late, as if she NEVER has to wait around for his sorry ass. She looks lovely when she arrives, saying the taxi was late. At the restauarant, the narration tells us there is an undertone of bitterness to Clea's words as they talk of normal things like how their day went. It's been a pattern recently in her words. When Strange sees that Clea isn't hungry, he asks what else might be the problem, she cries out that it's him and runs off. She runs out of the restaurant due to what we'd now know to call an anxiety attack, which the narration clls "an animalistic need to escape." She goes out into the street and is taken by surprise by the cars and things she isn't used to, being not-of-this-earth. She almost falls but Stephen catches her and she weeps in his arms. She is described as having a "slim, strong frame." Clea and Stephen sit on the grass in Central Park, and she tells him she is ashamed with her behavior. She was a princess in her world and has a lot of pride, even after having given up everything to be here with Stephen. Now, she tells him she can't be his disciple anymore. She has needed his help too often, and fears one day he will have to stop fighting and help her, resulting in his death. She says she will stay as his lover, but is not worthy to be his disciple. However, Stephen says her self-doubts only reaffirm his confidence in her, but he will respect her wishes if she truly does choose to end it--just asks her to wait a while before making her final decision. They kiss, and spend the "lazy" afternoon together, taking a trip through the park in a carriage. When they arrive back at the Sanctum, a man is beating on the door, shouting threats. Clea goes inside to find Sara or Wong for an explanation. Sara is their/Strange's assistant now. Stephen hears Clea scream from outside, and finds her in the cellar. She, Sara, and Wong are all trapped in the tentacles of some monster, fighting it. It calls itself the N'garai and I can't help but wonder why writers like making up names that sound like the n-word. Apparently, it is an elder demon god, and Stephen frees Clea first so she can help with magic. She says she once again failed in saving the others, but Stephen says he didn't rescue her to hear her feel sorry for herself. When the demon gets away with it's prisoners, Clea says Strange did as she feared and saved her over others due to their position. Still, she comes to his aid during the fight with the N'garai later on and helps out tremendously, thinking her way through the fight as to not waste her actions. At the end, she tells the monster she may not be the disciple she once dreamed of, but she's still far from helpless. She does an exellent job. Strange tells her that while he is off astrally saving the day, she must guard his body. Clea fights the minions of the eldritch god while he is away, until she cannot last much longer, and Stephen is finally sucessful just as Clea gets hit with a physical attack. When it is all done, Clea asks Stephen if this is over. He isn't sure. Clea tells him she could have done better tonight, and is frustrated with her progress. She doesn't give herself enough credit. She decides to stay as both disciple and lover, then says her work tonight as disciple is over, but as lover her work her just begun. wink wink. *Defenders #89 Cover is Hellcat kneeling by her mom's grave; where Val gets her old suit back😞 Kyle answers the phone--it's Clea, calling to give a message to Patys from the hospital. Kyle has to tell Patsy her mom died in the hospital last night. Later, Clea asks about arrangements that need to be made, and Patsy responds that it's mostly being taken care of already. Patsy goes on to ask Val if she could wear her old suit, the one she used to use to take people to Valhala in, to her mom's funeral. She says she would be honored, but doesn't know how to switch back after Clea's enchantment. Clea says it's no problem, and does a mystical gesture to change it back again. Daredevil gets attacked by the femme force. The funeral happens. Patsy has a moment by herself at the grave, speaking to her mother about how she always wanted her to be perfect, and Patsy could never live up to her expectations. Dolly Donahue, Mrs. Walker's houekeeper, shows up to the funeral and tells Patsy the houe was left to her, so she'd be happy to take care of Patsy in the family home if they use it as their HQ. The Walker residence becomes the new Defenders HQ. Patsy and Kyle go upstairs and she goes over her whole backstory, all the way up to Avengers 144. Downstairs, Dolly sends Val out to get groceries because she wasn't expecting a crowd. A minute later, she realizes Val probably doesn't have money. She sends Bruce running after her, but he gets tripped and turns into Hulk. At the grocery store, there's weird blurbs of shoppers' thoughts, no speaking, like they're in a library and trying to be quiet. it's weird. Then the place gets robbed? lmao. of all the days. they buy what looks like a bunch of beans and hulk slaps down money. he's 15 cents short and the managers lets it slide because duh. yep. aaaaaallllll beans. Man-Thing #11 final issue. tiny clea on the cover. Clea and many other appear as victims of the Magus sword. Defenders *#92-95, #98-101 *92 Patsy meets Daimon Clea and Strange watch Hulk play with toys, and she notes how he's more like a child than a monster. One of the toys is Dormammu. When Nighthawk shows up, Hulk asks Clea if Bird-Nose can play, she says Kyle looks under the weather, but she'd love to play with him. While Strange and Kyle talk, a blank panel interrupts them, and Clea runs to Stephen, confirming they both felt it. "Like all of reality ceasing to exist for a moment". It happens a few more times before Strange is hurked inward to speak with Eternity. Basically he sent out "children" into the universe to find out about life and three of them didn't return. Without them, reality is incomplete, so he needs Strange to help find them. When he returns to the group, Strange says they need to ask on their friends and fellow teammates or help. They gather Hellstron, Namor, Patsy, Val, and then Hulk and Nighthawk. This is when Patsy and Demon first meet. She's still torn up about her mother's death and talks about it with him a little. They end up fighting some freaky Hindi dudes and Hellcat is impressed with Daimon's powers, specifically Soulfire. Then they fight a sacred monkey. Afterwards, all eight heroes are exhausted. *93 At the Sanctum, several Defenders are hanging out. Clea's top doesn't have fishnet this time, and notes that Sub Mariner and Hellcat already left this morning. Kyle brings everyone ice cream, and the narration says he's is expanding everyone's waistlines. Funny how in this era, fat was seen as only bad, when really we know now that it can be a part of a healthy diet, especially when you're a superhero who burns far more calories than most. Then Nighthawk collapses. When the others go off, Clea says she will keep an eye on Kyle, wh ois now paralyzed in bed. The interlude is all about Patsy, dealing with her mother's death, still. She's furious that she misses a woman who may have never really loved her, and her shadow cloak lets someone out of itself at her. *94 demonic Hellcat cover First appearance of Gargoyle, he stepped out of Patsy's cloak and flew off with her. Or, at least that's what the other Defenders learn from Dolly when they find the scene of the kidnapping. Patsy is being held on a sacrificial table and Gargoyle says she is the cat from Hell. The crowd is praising Avarrish. HOLY SHIT, Strange actually goes back to fill Clea in on whats going on! damn. He learnin'. Clea double checks he doesn't need her help, he says he always needs her, but Kyle needs her help tonight more. When she heads back up the stairs, she finds the Kyle is gone! Gargoyle fights Daimon. Patsy has been reborn as a demon! I want this as a figure. She takes out Strange and Daimon but it's Val who brings her back and helps her expel the demon. They learn Gargoyle is an old man called Isaac Christians, turned into this by Avarrish. Patsy learns she was promised to a six fingered man by her mother. 95 98 Clea and Wong are meditating when the phone rings, wong answers just as the rest of the defenders show up. Patsy makes some flirtatious remarks to Daimon and scratches his face and insutls him, then breaks down because apparently that was remnants of the demon that posessed her earlier on. Citrusville has been taken into the Nexus of realities. 99 Clea is captive along with Namor, Hulk, and Silver Surfer. Clea calls out for Stephen, who she reports to that she was tricked with a mental message from him for help, and followed it to a trap. THe others did as well. Stephen can't seem to free them. Patsy cloaks in on Kyle, she says she got bored and missed him, and cloaks him out of there. At one point, Clea and the other captives free themselves and help out in the battle. After, Clea reports it was Isaac, the Gargoyle, who helped free them by giving them extra life force energy t break out. Mephisto shows up. Patsy cloaks Daimon to Satan, because she's being controlled by the demon that once possessed her, again. Mephisto puts them all in a pill and shows them Hell on Earth. *100 tiny Clea cover. Mephisto has them in a pill watching Hell on Earth. Patsy is still posessed, the devil man hanging around is saying he's her father. He claims he is Daimon's father as well, making them siblings. I think demon patsy propositions Daimon, her brother? ew. Daimon can't deny he had fallen in love with Patsy and this family news is driving him insane. Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, and Clea burst forth into a white void. He asks where they are, Clea asks if they are anywhere at all. Mephisto pops up, they fight him. Clea meditates and then understands what is going on: each of them has feel as if they don't belong, so Mephisto has literalized that feeling. Mephisto says say the word and he'll wipe it all away, remove the faceless disciple and replace her with the ruler of her own mystic realm, where Dr Strange himself will bow to her. The price is her soul. Surfer is able to attack him, and Val asks Clea how. She says they are only nothing so long as they believe they are nothing. the light of passion ignites fire within their souls, they use their passion to beat Mephisto. They go off on the surf-board together. Just before they escape, they fall off and are pulled back into the void. The whole group winds up back in front of the devil family. the devil sicks Patsy on Diamon when he stands up fr them, but he knocks her away. Daimon ends up going with his father and they release Patsy back to herself. *101 the Defenders gather in their place and look sad. Hulk asks why if they won, Patsy says it's because they won but left Daimon behind at the whims of his devil father. patsy blames herself for this altercation. Gargoyle suggests patsy and Val visit the housekeeper in the hospital. Silver Surfer suggests after the recent events, they ought to take a brief vacation to relax or something. Clea tells Stephen she very much agrees, and the three of them go flying off. SS on his board, Clea sitting on the front, Strange using magic. On the bus to the hospital, Val and Patsy talk. Patsy tells her friend how the events of the past weeks have terribly affected her. She says she feel s violated, unsure, and she doesn't know ehre to go or what to do next. She says she's never been close to anyone her whole life, always built a wall of jokes and flippancy that no one could get past. She says Val is one of the only people to make it over that wall, and she needs her now. They find Dolly reading to kids in the hispital, sh says she doesn't remember what happened but her recovery has been miraculous. patsy think to herself that Daimon must have taken the memories when he healed her in issue 96. A young bald child named Serena comes and sits on Patsy's lap to comfort her. She says she's not sad about the cancer because she knows the world is a big special place, and as soon as you discover that it won't let you down, as long as you're nice to poeple. Meanwhile, in Africa, the flyers have arrived at their destination. They join in on a tribe's celebrations, Clea dn Strange dance a montage page away. WHen they have had their relaxation fill, they return to New York. *Doctor Strange #46-47 *46 mid-size clea doing magic on the cover. Clea and Dr Strange are at an airport in human clothes. her bangs are particularly upright. She is thrilled by the scene, as there is no such thing in her world. Stephen does not like it. She points the gate out to him as he worries, then he sets off the metal detector. Forgot his Eye of Agamtto. idiot lol. the spell he put on it doesn't hide it from machinery. he turns it into a st christopher medal and hands it to the guard. On the plane, Clea compliments him on his quick thinking. He say it would have been better to have thought of it beforehand, but thanks her. Clea shuts her eyes to rest on the plane, and finds herself in a trance, with a voice calling out for help. It is Sibylla of the Sibyls, who began their order of seeresses ove 2000 years ago. She was her peoples' seeress, and when she got old, became the advisor to seeresses by ghosthood. But hte sisterhood has declined, and faith in them waned. She says now she has found Clea to be the new Sibyl in line. When she wakes, they are in Rome, and she slept like a log the whole flight. By the time they get off the plane, they start seeing Roman centurians, and then are transported to the temple of Clea's vision. Clea knows the answers to her dream lie in the cave/hall, and they go in. The area is full of some kind of spirits, and a centurion shoots at them but it just goes by without harm. Clea thinks it was a ghost, strange says likely not. they come to a room with the corpse of Thelia, the last Sibyl, and are addressed by Sibylla herself, who brought them there. they have to allow her into their minds, and then they see her. she shows Strange the same vision she showed Clea, who she says plays a vital tole in the continuance of the world, lest the Black Oracle take over. the cavern she is in is the Nexus of all Realities, and they need to forma triad--herself, Clea, and Thaleia. Clea accepts the challenge. She takes her seat on the third chair, and they begin. The narration is quick to point out that while Strange watches Clea in this glorious moment of sisterhood and sorcery, he feels "overlooked." Okay, buddy, so now ya know a teensy bit of how it feels every time you assume Clea isn't able to help, or shut her out of whatever you're up to. Asshole. Basically an evil dude is trying to take advantage of the situation and Stephen helps a little while the women are in a trance, but he turns to the Eye when the mists get thicker, drawing the perpetrator to him. Meanwhile, in the hall of Sibylls, Clea is noting that this connection feels as if it were realilzing her potential for the first time, more power than she's ever had, and she loves all of it. As the ceremony is completed and Sibyll cries out for the gods to use them to destroy the Black Oracle, and Clea realilzes Stephen isn't there. The bad guy, seeing Clea is green at all of this, attacks her psychically. Clea and the others still manage to close the nexus of realities. Strange actually tells Clea he's proud of her, and she declines Sybil's offer to stay and be taught, saying she has a teacher already. cute panel "and life goes on" of Clea nd strange looking into the sunset. There is an after-story called A Moment's Peace, with Clea and Strange vacationing in the south of Rome. Stephen is pouting and Clea wants to swim, so she goes by herself, joshing him as she transforms sailor moon style into a lavendar strapless one-piece. As he sits and watches, stephen thinks about how this vacation has him thinking about the duality of their realtionship, and he is troubled. Clea splashes him in the face, saying the night is too beautiful for brooding. Instead of joining her, he conjurs a water elemental to play with. Stephen wonders if his uncertainty stems from the differences between his discipleship and that of Clea. he even calls himself out that he might just be jealous Clea is learning more, faster than him. But he denies that, instead deciding she comes from a much more magical dimension. His troubles are that they are man and woman, and master and disciple. He gets angry and tells Clea to stop. SHe doesn't want to, he yells at her, destroying the water elemental and dressing her in her standard outfit. he says the vacation is over. She is saddened and shocked, but understands it is time to be disciple again. WHYNOTBOTH HUH? *47 Today, Stephen is testing Clea. She seem sad but says she is ready. He charges her to do a spell she failed at before, and here she does it perfectly. When she admires her work, Stephen attacks her magically, claiming he was training her to not let down her guard. Bitch, you said make the rings, she made the rings. There was no addendum about an imminent attack. Still, she counters his spell skillfully. Then he attacks again, with the crimson bands of bitchface, her original spell explodes, destroying them. Clea is upset at first that she failed him, but he explains she did very well. He then presents her with her own grimoire, to record her own spells as she learns or creates them. She is thrilled, and heads off to bed. Later, Clea comes downstairs after she and Strange both felt a disturbance. They look into the Orb, and Clea spots a dark shadow coming over the earth. Strange has CLea ask Sara to book them passage to North Carolina at once. On the plane, Strange sense the force again but Clea does not. He goes off in astral form to investigate and takes too long, Clea is busy making excuses for his unresponsive body when he returns. A student protest arrives where they are later, and Clea and Strange transform into their magician suits. Psychic wraiths start attacking, Clea steps in to help him fight, the perpetrator is Ikonn. While Clea keeps the crown entranced, she thinks about how Ikonn is a figure who's power Strange calls upon many times in battle to confuse his enemeies. Him being here is not a good sign. As he fights, she notices the crowd is no longer posessed, but still rowdy. they win the battle in the end. Marvel Graphic Novel (1981) #1 Death of Captain Marvel Clea appears in one panel, the main group shot. *Defenders (1972) #102 Clea Corner Box whaaaaat!?!! opening page, Clea is magicing Kyle Richmond. He was taken here because he is magically ill. She talks about the issue, and reports they will be able to restore his ability to walk. She says she is doing it because she's his friend. As they leave, Clea talks to Isaac about how she's seen Kyle change so much in the time she's known him. She turns to Isaac, but he's gone. Later, Clea appears to Kyle in the hotel he's staying in to tell him what she's discovered from her magical tests. She asks if he will need help, he declines, and she goes off. Later, after a close call, Clea revelas to Kyle she had been keeping an eye on him and was the one to cool the mind of his attacker when he was in danger. Marvel Team-Up (1972) #111 grumpy clea head on the cover. The Defenders, including Clea, pop up in the scene way into it. They are lizards. the true defenders break fee a few pages later. Clea zots some fools. *Defenders (1972) #103 CLEA CORNERBOX AGAIN! Isaac is getting beat up on the street at night, Clea and Devil Slayer help him, she sends the attackers to the cops. They report Clea has been meditating for days searching for him, and he wonders why. She says she wold for any friend, any fellow Defender. She holds him as he cries in the rain. At the burnt-out HQ, Hellcat ponders the events of the last few issues, and a boy falls out of her cloak. she folds it into itslf, hoping to avoid future problems from it. Then Clea pops up as a magic talking head, first telling patsy a woman of her worth doesn't need such aides, then reports a need for them. She then pops up for Kyle asking for help, and he says he quit the Defenders. The ones who did come to her call are sitting in the sanctum, waiting for Isaac to tell his tale. Clea goes with the Defenders on this trip. Clea and Val walk together, a cat jumps into Val's arms and scratches her. then, the windowns neaby all shatter. they are all transported to the same place from various nightmare scenarios, in the fight, Clea's powers are useless. They bond more by the end. *Marvel Fanfare (1982) #5 wrap-around cover ft. Clea on the back looking magical. ahah! This is the cute Clea in a nightgown issue! She comes to him asking when he plans on coming to bed, and he says he is disturbed. She asks if there is anything she can do for help, he asks if she is asking as disciple or lover, she responds either way. SHe says she wants to ease his discomfort, and insists he come relax, so he can work better. He says he doens't know how to relax while sleeping, she says she never said anything about sleeping. A young black girl bangs on their door, Strange mutters about bad sense of timing. he goes to answer, there is a flash and he opens the door to her unconscious. Clea asks what happened, Strange says her psychic aura is gone. He asks Clea to join him in searching for her assailant, but Clea declines, saying she has things to take care of. She goes out in an orange rain cloak. She passes a VW, where a man watches her, having just attacked the girl, and plans on killing Clea next. we find later he is Nicodemus. Clea walks to East Village church, remembering her own experience with being drained the wa the young girl had been. SHe remembers the events of Defenders 53, when Nicodemus had kidnapped her in the church. She heads back to the Sanctum, thinking of that experience, and that she didn't tell stephen because she didn't want to bother him with her hunch. When she goes inside, Nicodemus attacks, and she barely gets her shield up in time. Strange returns to save her, Nicodemus attacks him. He believes CLea dead, but she teleported herself to anther plane to escape his bomb. strange uses the child to speak to Clea, then, saying what she must do. She starts to unravel the instructions, and stops to check in on how Stephen is doing in the orb. She works her way through the situation as she makes her wya to the roof, and by that time she has figured out what she must do. Clea summons Strange back to earth, ultimately assists in giving Nicodemus his ppower, but that was part of the plan. when it's over, Clea reverses the spell, giving Strange his power back. they look lovely and disheveled together. Doctor Strange #48-54 *48 Clea cover with weird red shoulder things instead of her pink triangle. When stephen suggests the woman at the bank saw his psychic form, Clea wonders aloud if perhaps she had magical abilities. Clea decides to celebrate with popcorn in the fireplace, but it starts to smoke like hell. She thinks she did something wrong, but then Voodoo steps out of the fireplace. Clea stands by as he explains his story to the two of them. After, strange heads off to deal with it, and Clea stays with Voodoo. Clea comforts him as he wishes he could help, but Strange is their best bet in getting his brother back. Then, she senses something coming and throws up a shield around them, just in time for evil to try and attack. they do alright in the end, withc Clea noting how Voodoo can come and go as he pleases. *49 Strange and Clea are soaring through the astral plane together, freeing their spirits, but they are being watched. they spural as one soul through thought, until they come to a blinding white conclusion. I interpret this pretty clearly as they cum. Then they come back to their bodies, refreshed and energized. Yeah. it was orgasms. Strange tells her it's a Tantric exercise LMAOOOOOO okay. He suggests time for more disciplined study. Get off and get off, amirite. later, stephen is in trouble elsewhere and Clea senses someone needs her. She goes to his orb to see whats happening. Instead of strange, she is greeted by four beings of her home realm, pleading to her for help. THey say that Dormammu is gone, Umar rules, but she is weakened, and they thinkthey can overthrow her but they need Clea's help, since she was the first to overthrow them. SHe says yes, she did, while they bowed before his throne. She chews them out about being spineless and weak themselves, and leaves them, denied. *50 Clea is introduced at last to Morgana Blessing the woman who was at the bank robbery with stephen. Clea reports she's been with him a few years. strange wants to examine Morgana for sorcerer tendancies, and heads off with her. Clea notes to herself there are always sercrets Stephen would tell his lover but Strange would not tell his disciple. Clea takes the cat out of the purse, and it immediately transforms into it's true form: Mordo. He claims genius by sneaking in like a cat, and takes off with Clea and Morgana. the end reveals that Dormammu is returned and he has taken Clea hostage. *51 Clea is held hostage by Dormammu. She is to be used as a sacrifice to bring Dormammu back for good. In the end, he barely remembers to go back for her. She feels like she disapointed him again, he explains why she did very well and he is proud. TO herself, Clea thinks that she sensed how much Morgana loves Stephen, seemingly more than she herself does. how can she deny him that love? and does Clea really love him? *52 refreshes the events of the last issue, saving Morgana and returning to the Sanctum. Stephen asks Clea what has been troubling her, as she has barely spoken since their return. She denies it at first, then admits she was contacted by people from the Dark Dimension looking for help, and she denied them. She was so angry that she didn't tell Stephen, and the information might have been useful on their mission. When he mentions her channeling the love of the past between himself and Morgana, Clea turns away and cries out that Morgana is the problem, because she loves him. Stephen tries to console her, that she is merely like a patient fond of her doctor, and it will pass. Clea admits, then, that she felt Moragna's psyche, and that she loves Stpehen more than herself. She explains to him that she did love him, admired him too, but she is from the Dark Dimension, where love was nearly unknown, and she thought no love could be greater than theirs. Now, she says she sees that she is wrong, and Morgana loves him more than she could ever image doing. Stephen tells her Morgana means nothing to him, but she says she will. Before she can explain, someone bursts in. they are Morgana's family, here to check in on her. Stephen starts introducing Clea as his assistant, but she says it's okay, she's going home. as she goes, he tells her it isn't as serious as she thinks. 53 Clea is in the Sanctorum talking to Sara, who didn't hear her come in. She is the new business manager for Doctor Strange. She tells Clea she looks like she's been crying, ad Clea confirms it. she briefly explains the situation, and says she will meditate for now. When Strange gets home that night, Clea has a bag packed, and tells him she is headed back to the DD. She says in her heart of hearts, she knows her love, and discipleship, is a sham. She tells him she is not of this world, she belongs in the DD, and she will go back and help with the rebellion as she was asked. He offers to return to the DD with her, but she says his place is by Morgana, who loves him. As she disappears into thin air, she tells him she loved him as best she could, and wishes he remember her that way. Sara stops him then, telling him this something Clea has to do. then, she is gone. he is crushed, hangs on to the banister, and heads upstairs. the "The end" is a broken heart. *54 cute Clea cover narration explains 24 hours ago, Clea left Doctor Strange, after being with him for over a year, in the name of love. He sits in the window and broods about her having left, and the mistakes he made. He admits to himself he noted previously morgana's love for him spans several millenia, through past incarnations. But it is Clea who he loves. He remembesr a past trip throught he park on a spring day with Clea... cute story. at the end of the memory, he tries to go to the DD himself, but the portal closes before he gets through it--Clea's leaving has affected his ability to do even magic. Defenders (1972) #119 on the Defenders HQ on Long Island, Nighthawk tries to ride a horse but he sucks, and Valkyrie laughs. Patsy pulls up in a convertible, Kyle tells her Val is about to get kicked off the horse, Patsy says she's doing a bad job of that and he tells her to shut up. Patsy tries to console him anyway, then they go inside and the evil mind contro lady is there with hulk under her spell. They all fight her but she gains control of them one by one. Hulk shows up to the Sanctum Sanctorum, Clea spots him and tells the Doctor. it's a trick of course and clea is taken under control, she tries to take doctor strange but he strally projects, releases Hulk and Val, her name is Yandrith? SHe somehow just ends up going crazy and falling over. theres some other weird shit going on with a robot and an elf. *Doctor Strange (1974) #58 Clea and her generals stand around a table and discuss their plans for usurption. SHe tells them they will follow her, or Umar, and they choose her, as she was the first of Royal blood to usurp the Faltine rulers. Umar, on her throne in the DD, senses something is off, event hough she has everything she ever wanted. She does some magic and discovers it is her own flesh and blood--meaning only Clea. Marvel Fanfare (1982) #8 takes place before Clea left. James Mandarin gets into trouble with magic and his wife has to get heklp from Dr strange. Clea asks why Mandarin has powers, when Stephen didn't teach him. Later, she helps fight. *Doctor Strange (1974) #67, #69, #71-74 clea becomes sorcerer supreme of the dark dimension 67 first issue with clea in her new outfit! A DD person capture's a living mask floating through the DD and tells it to tell Umar the rebellion is coming. He returns to a pink dome of magic, and gives the password "its a beautiful day in the neighborhood" to get in. Clea allows him in before the mindless ones hurt him. Ahw sent him out to ensure Umar is mad with rage, and she mentions how she studied with Earths sorcerer surpeme. 69 in the DD, Umar watches Strange, and speaks with captive rebels. they claim he is not part of their plan but she doesn't believe them, because she thinks Clea is still alligned with him romantically. As Orini throws the captves to the mindless ones, the same revel from issue 67 attacks, trying to save them, and all four end up in the mindless ones pit. While it appears they are all killed by the mindless ones, they have really been taken to Clea's pink dome. Orini is unconscious, the rest are fine. When he wakes, Clea tells him they have much to discuss. At his fancy dinner, Stephen gets a message from Clea, seeing her face and voice coming from his coffee cup. She has just enough time to warn him that Umar believes him to be a part of their rebellion before her message is cut off. 71 History of the Dark Dimension. Olinar is the mystical ruler of the DD. He is approached by siblings from the Faltine dimension, promising to show him new ways of power to expand his realm. Against the guiding of his court magicians, Olnar let them in. They took him around his dimension, showing him how to expand his realm by breaking down the walls between worlds and absorbing them. Then he accidentally take in the realm of the Mindless ones, who destory everything in their path, starting with Olinar himself. The other magicians blamed the siblings, who sensed they would want to attack, and killed them before they got the chance. then they combined their powers and created the barrier to keep back the mindless ones. But Umar, the younger sibling, was weakened considerably, and it would take many cycles for her to strengthen. Due to the ending of the attacks from the Mindless ones, the citizens embraced their new leaders. Olinar's infant child, Orini, was too young to rule, so they did. Flames of Recency mark the ruler of the DD. now, at the Sanctum, Morgana arrives once again. Sara shows her inside, to where Stephen and Wong are preparing to send him to the DD to help Clea, since Umar has been attacking earth. Morgana seems weird and passionate, he takes off. Clea is wearing a different outfit this time as she interrogates her father, Orini. his mental wards are too powerful for her to read his mind. Stephen follows rebels to the dome. now the password is "call now, operators are standing by!" lmao. They attack him at first until he reveals who he is, and CLea is surprised to see him. He says he is here in part to thank her for the warning about Umar's attakcs; he has come to aid in the rebellion. Clea asks about the second reason, and he says he has also come to see if possibly she had any feleings left for him. She asks if he does, he asks if she does, they embrace, the issue ends. 72 Clea learns of her heritage Umar is taxing citizens in magical energies--she takes their natural magic absorption every so often for herself. Rebels do some stuff with the help of Stephen, then return to the dome. the password now is "yo, adrienne, it's me, Rocky!" haaaaa. Clea has a new outfit again. She thanks strange for all his help. She embraces him, then calls on her aid Rahl for the next meeting. She meets with the rebel leaders, and Stpehen thinks to himself how she's changed so much. She's far more experienced and powerful, confident and mature.He wonders if their relationship was holding her back, and I can't help but agree. At the meeting, Clea's people are realizing the are at an impasse and need more information before moving forward. Clea says she hasn't had luck probing Orini's mind, their only prisoner. WHen someone suggests Stephen take a try, she think they are questioning if she is going easy on her father. Stephen explains it might be subconcious, and gets to work. Orini tells the story of his parents' death when he was a baby, leading to him being raised under Umar and Domammu. He didn't meet umar until he was already a man, he fell deeply in love immediately, head over heels worshipping her. But in some way he displeased her and she ran in disgust. He didn't see her again until she delivers Clea 6 cycles later, and he raised her himself, never telling anyone the truth. Stephen delivers Clea the news. She is shocked, then lets it settle and thinks. When other rebels start to question Clea as their leader due to this information, she nips it in the bud. She enabled this revolution, but hasn't agreed to ruling anyway, news of her blood be damned. In Orini's cell later, she frees him, and he asks why. She wants to speak as father and daughter, wants to know why he never told her of her heritage. he yells about how she betrayed Umar and Dormammu , then ran off with her alien lover. he goes to grab her and smack her, cut to him bringing Clea to Umar, unconcious. 73 Clea and Umar fight in the background on the cover Umar and Orini plan to destroy strange as Clea is held captive in a weird Snow White style coffin but upright. Umar plans to kill both her and Strange. apparently the rebels have already been subdued. she doesn't care that Clea had already left Stephen when she started leading the rebellion. As Strange fights, loosing, Clea appears to him psychically. She is able to hide his persence so he can get closer to Umar. Umar thinks she's figured it out, and Clea is alive in her coffin thing, but then it is revelaed Orini is in the coffin, and Clea was disguised as him. BAM! When she comes back, she's in the modern outfit again. She calls Umar Mother, which infuriates her. Clea says Umar won't like th outcome of her reckoning. A gemstone is projecting the fight humongous so all the people can see. Clea says if it is foolish to appose her tyranny, than she is gladly a fool. Everyone hears her call Umar mother, an umar unleashes the mindless ones on her people. She is distracted by Strange and stops to smack talk him before Clea smacks her int he face with a spell. Clea mentally tells stephen this is her fight, take Rahl and go. Clea is slowly dimming Umar's flame in the fight. she thinks she can still win as long as she has the suport of the people, then she sees the gem glowing, and Clea tells her they've been showing the people the whole fight, and all the shit talking she'd done about them and not giving a fuck about if they survive or not. Clea wins the fight, and ends up with the regency flames over her own head. Hail Clea! 74 Clea waves to the poeple from her balcony. She wnats Stephen to join her but he thinks she should have her moment, she insists he helped a lot. A man comes in an begs for his life, she says he need not. Stephen acknowledges these people need to get used to a non-murdery ruler. She says she wants them to have democracy, but doesn't know how to get that going. She and Stephen banish the coffins of her mother and father, Umar and Orini, eternally. She asks Stephen to stay, insinuating as her lover. but they catch eyes spying on them, and Stephen has to go investigate it. Rahl joins her as Stephen leaves. *Strange Tales (1987) #1-2 1 blah blah blah Topaz tells Stephen there is a pit in him, it will grow to kill him--why did he let her go? She tells him to call her back, and he can't resist, summoning Clea. She appears in her Sorcerer Supreme look, head on fire with rulership. Topaz continues on about how Clea waited for him, left her world for him, waited for him to return her love, and he just let her go. Topaz is clearly having a moment here but she's definitely got a point. She puts their hands together, and a spark of energy bursts out. She says that when they touched, it released their pain, so much that she could not control, and it could only be out of love. Clea is surprised to hear, and Stephen agress. He loved her. BU he was always distant, detached, even formal. He says the ancient one showed him salvationf rom his past darkness in self restraint and denial, an that is why he can never truly love another. Clea says he pushed her away, her, a being a magic like him. She says she lied that she left willingly, and left because of that distance he created. Stephen tries to say it was for the best, she says their relationship would have been best. Topaz goes on, that Strange balled himself up like his own master, but really his master chose him for his dfferent perspective. He says he cannot think of himself, Clea says than think of her. She looks him in the eye and tells him she's oved him since the moment she saw him, and waits. He looks at her, goes to touch her, then pulls away, saying he can't. 2 While Stephen asses rain damage, Topaz apologizes to Clea, saying she thought she could change his mind. Clea says it's alright, Stephen is a man of much responsibility who has given up much. Clea goes to retunr to the DD, openeing a portal and stepping though while offering Stephen to stay there iwth her to rest for a time, but he walks away. *Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #2-3 (Dr Strange v.3) 2 Strange is posessed by Dormammu. He appears to be fighting in his astral form until he transforms into Clea, reavealing herself as the fighter. SHe is in her Sorcerer Supreme Garb. they distract him while Topaz cleans the Dormammu infection, shutting him out. When strange is back in his body, Clea hugs him, and warns him Dormammu will be abck. 3 Clea and Stephen are embracing. He tells her that for so long he thought love a distraction, someting to keep him off his path, but ow he sees that love IS that path. She says she can find all the love she ver needed in him now. But what to do about it? She is ruler of the DD and he must remain on Earth. As Clea walks, the Azure steps to her thone appear, and she seats herself on it mid-air. She says she is in charge of whole worlds and races she previously never knew about, and she think DOrmammu ruled by fear because it was easiest. But she acknowledges Stephenas well as a great responisbility as sorcerer supreme, and makes a joke about no time to clean his house, then sparkles it like new for him. She says the magic is ust one of the perks that come witht he job. He tells her they are one, and that their spirits are wed forever. Dowsnstairs, they announce their marriage in the morning. Sara asks about the how, and Stephen tells her no governent can sanction a wedding where they cannot admit one of the beings even exists. The rings they werar are mystical heighlooms from the dark dimension, from before Dormammu's time. THey look to be two, but are actually one ring. So, the two of them will be together as long as they wear it. Stephen has to get back to work, so she gets dressed in her work clothes and says her goobyes for now, they say they love each other. *Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #20 D story Titled "Clea: at the bottom of my garden." the brighter pink of her outfit is portrayed to look like metal, while her hair is like 80's messy sex hair with the slightest of mullet qualitites. She listens to two citizens argue from her throne. She then tells them off and decides to go for a walk. She thinks to herself that after eons under tyranny, they just don't know what to do with freedom in the DD. As the keeper of the ruling flame, she knows the repsonisiblity falls to her, and she knows the flame is dangerous, because she can hear it whispering to her in the night, telling her to force them to fall into line with her powers. She knows it's the same voice Dormammu and her mother Umar bent to, and she will not do the same. Then she comes across a part of her dimension she is unaware of, until now. SHe chekcs her powers to see if she wandered into another realm, bit she hasn't. She spots a door that wasn't there before, and commands it to open, as the wearer of the flame. SHe uses magic to force it open, She finds a secret garden inside, long overgrown. at the center is a protective shield, and she commands the mystery inside to come out. It opens and a dragon comes forth, saying he was created by Dormammu to protect this palce from all, even Dorammu himself. As she fights it, she notices the flames, her regency, fading. She wonders why DOrmammu would have even put the creature here, and it tells her to die while wondering. as it squeezes her, she thinks back on the times Stephen would use light magic, the opposite of Dormammu's. SHe thinks upon a spell he would use, and casts it on the dragon monster. It curses her as it gets cast off, and she tells it to shut up and be gone. When it is gone, she sees what it was guarding: a flower. It glows with it's own light, but has no other power. SHe wonders if it was from time before h was ruler, a time he couldn't bare to think back on, or is it that the one think Dormammu couldn't bear was the fragile light of beauty? the end. Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #5, #12-16, #21-24, #26, #29-30, #32-36, #38-43 *5 Clea on the cover at Strange's feet. k. Clea appers to strange in the mirror in a fancy lewk, replacing a demonic vision on the glass. She says she's been trying to get through for hours, but something was blocking her. She also says she tried to come in person but still can't make it work. She says she prays by their mystic rings it can be solved. There is a moment of mild racism later when the only black person in the issue is illiterate. *12 been over six months since we've seen CLea in the comics, now. the....cow head guy witnesses Stephen kissing Amora (Enchantress in disguise, with him under a spell) and feels he must contact Clea to let her know what he saw. good lad. When he calls on her, she starts adressing stephem saying they're playing phone tag. THen she notices it isn't stephen, and stops short. He tells her stoehen is under someone's spell, and she asks what he wants her to do about it. She says she's rulonig the DD yes but also leading their attack on the Mindless ones, who assault their borders, and she must reutrn to battle. She will come check on Stephen when it is over. Later, during the battle with Strange and Enchantress, he is losing, and suddenly Amara is caught off guard. It is Clea, arrived to fight for her lover. Enchantress tries to get smack talky with her but Clea comes back at her, saying she's Queen of the DD, daughter of Umar the Unrelenting, Neice of Dormammu the Dreaded one, and the power of the falmes of regency are hers. Enchantress cries out and she asks if that's asgardian for crying uncle lmao. As stephen watches, he tells himself that Clea is no longer just a former disciple, but does she still love him?He introduces her to Rintrah, the cow guy, and she says they've met, he alerted her of trouble earlier. He tells her thanks for sticking her pretty n ose in his business, she says she loves him too, they kiss and she beams, he thinks of how her smile lights up the world. *13 Clea cuddles Akron on the cover Enchantress tells Akron of Clea, ruler of the DD, and he decides to wed her for power. k. Clea is resting at the Sanctum, talking in fancy robes to stephen about his brother who came back from the dead as a vampire recently. Just then, Sara and Morgana burst in with a puppy they brought stephen, Clea notes begrugingly how Morgana still hangs around. the room shakes, debris falls, Clea gets an upskirt shot for some reason? Strange checks on Morgana first, Clea is unconsious. He says she was hit by debris but will be fine. Akron comes down then, picking up Clea, saying he will put her where she belongs and come back to dispose of Stephen. Stephen panics when he goes, asking Morgana where he took Clea. When he gets to where Akron is, they fight, and Stephen appears to die. When Akron starts monologueing, Stpehen gets up, and he is shokced. Clea says yes, I rather liked that myself. SHe had him under her spell, she was never really a captive. She says she'd rather elope with Nightmare, and she tells him it serves him right for treating her like a damsel in distress. She sends Akron back to his world, and Stpehen mentions how she's making a habit of saving his skin. She tell shim he shouldn't feel humiliate or unmanly for having been saved, because he has saved her so often as well, adn he's jsut as powerful as her in his own dimension. *14 Morgana and Sara discuss the events of the last issue. When strange and Clea show up, she's blonde for some reason. Morgana embraces him, and then remembers to thank Clea, too. When she leaves, Clea notes that Morgana still loves him, and she's in pain. Clea jokes she's never going to give him a chance to be with her, now. Clea says rest will do him some good, and Rintrah notes to Sara he doesn't look tired. Sara explains Clea wasn't talking about sleep. Upstairs, Clea waits for Stephen to join her in bed. They have sex. After, Clea wakes to tiny voices and sees little fairy type ladies. She talks to them about how Strange is a good man, and how he looks so peaceful when he sleeps. Then morbius shows up in the window, and she attacks him. SHe's wearing Lingerie? Strange wakes and tells her Morbius is his friend. She apologises and asks if he's okay, he'll be fine. they discuss his brother, then Morgana is attacked by a vampire. *15 Everyone is fretting over Morgana. Clea says it looks like she hasn't lostmuch blood, she'll be fine. Stephen tells he to knock it off. there is some confusion about a moment that Stephen doesn't remember but Morgana does, until CLea admits she was disguised as him. She says she was acting like a green eyed jealousy monster. That's why Morgana noticed his steady hands, becuase it wasn't him. Clea wanted to be sure there wasn't anything going on. She brried the memory of the visit, and left. Morgana is pleased, saying now their rivalry is out in the open. Clea is surprised by this, Morgana says basically their rings don't mean anything, and that she's going to still try and win over stephens love. um wtf. Wong starts to tell her off, as someone should, but stpehen ignores it all and continues the mission. the witch lady gets into Cleas head and tricks her into thinking Strange is a villain. she starts letting out all the pent up frustration against him, he has to nock her out to get her to stop. then he carries her off in the end. 16 Clea lashes out in a rage every time she wakes up, so strange has her under a sleeping spell. Sara tells Morgana off for pretending like she's in a relationship with Stephen, who tells Sara she doesn't deserve that. Sara comes back with "Doesn't she?" and yeah, she does. 21 Clea on the cover, being yelled at. another six months have almost passed since Clea appeared in the comics. Stephen heads tot he DD to check on Clea, since he hasn't seenher in a while, and the Mindless Ones are invading New York. When he arives, everything is Dark, and Clea is frozen. Dormammu is there. *22 Dormammu has Clea mesmerized int he DD. Basically, he reformed the Darkness of the DD out from where Clea has abolished it to replace it with light. Now, Dormammu has the flames of Recengy again. H allows her to wake, because he wnts her to see his power, and she is very very weak. Dormammu says he will have the flames long after she is dust, and lifts her high. She tells him to kill her but spare stephen and her world. He pulls the stasis forms of Umar and Orini from where they were banished. She agress to take up the throne with her brother, and allows him to destory orini. She also says she doesn't feel love for Clea, and allows him to do what he must. He switches their bodies, and sends them into the banishment Umar had been in. She successfully uses the eye of Agamotto to call for help. Umar and Dormammu talk. She says she has been gathering the darkness within her to better hurl at him! go bitch. She says if he ever thought she would be content to sit second to her own brother, than he isn't smart enough to be hers. Dormammu supposedly makes her cease to exist. back of the issue has the hsitory of the faltines, and the history of Umar and Dormammu. *23 Clea in blue on the cover. Umar pops up in a some rando dimension, having escaped death at the hands of her brother. She narrates aloud that she was instead cosmically displaced. She comes across stephen and Clea, occupying the same bodies at the same time. SHe laughs at Dormammu's work, and is about to strike down Stephen when she realizes this would kill Clea as well. While she only recently learned Clea is her daughter, she can't deny the desire not to kill her. Clea tells her to spare her husband, which takes Umar by surprise. Strange says shwe couldn't possibly understand their love, and Umar denies it before breaking the spell they are under. She says though she freed Clea, she will not relinquish power to her. Clea says they can argue about that later. She revels also that it was her and stephen who saved Umar from Dormammu just then, Umar says Clea needed her, but why did she kust save Clea, then? Clea offers that Umar remembers she is her Flesh and Blood, and asks if they can burry the hatchet for now. Umar says she had her because she lusted for matter, but the act of conception at the time repulsed her. Many things have changed since then, and calls Clea daughter. Clea responds there is hope for them, yet, after they beat Dormammu together. Umar denies that, saying she will not fight him with her now, but they will meet again, and leaves., saying she and Clea are more alike than not--Clea tells stephen she didn't like that last part. She asks surely she and Umar aren't so alike, and Stephen changes the subject. When they get back to the Sanctum, the rest of the people are unconscious. Mordo and Dormammu fight. They get Mordo. Clea tells him to shut up. Clea and strange are doing their best to hold back Dormammu, they know if this world falls, so do the rest. Mordo steps in and helps Dormammu win. *24 stpehen and clea start to cast tspells against Dormammu, who holds them captive, but he covers his mouths. Clea says she'd be able to fight him if he hadn't stolen her flames of regency. later, stephen starts flinging insults and Clea tells him not to stoop to Dormammu's level. Clea cries out at stephen then, that he is just sitting there taking it. She says yesterday she was a queen of a universe of day, ruling all she surveyed. today she is a captive of darkness, not even worth killing. Dormammu will cover earth in a cloak of darkness, clea tellls him he can't because the earth needs photosynthesis and would die, it isn't like DD. She yells at Stephen again before noticing he must be doing some magical bullshit. She puts together that when Dormammu's creature took their magic, and now his being is iinside it as well, controlling it. At one point, Clea swears she'll never let herself be helpless again. Stephen's trick works and Clea feels her powers flowing back to her, then Stephen is back too. Stephen tries to tell her to stay back , but she counters she is still the rightful ruler of this realm and she will fight for it. then, Umar and Mordo appear behind Dormammu. the four of them battle Dormammu, who starts tearing the world apart around them as he looses. Clea calls for the others to stop fighting, to avoid the total annhilation of DD. She insists they find another way. Umar ends of making a deal with her brother that he gets a tiny peice of the DD, she will rule with Mordo as her consort, Clea will not, she accepts as long as the citizens are alright. Clea must vow never to return to the DD, since her very presence indicates a threat to her sovereignty. Umar gives Dormammu the realm of the Mindless ones, which he is forced to accept. Clea says her goodbyes to her mther, who says maybe someday she'll come visit thema and any kids they have. Stephen asks what she said and clea tells him not to worry about it. She says it will be good to live in the light again. *26 Clea has been standing at the window since Stephen went on his last trip. new artists draws her weird. but at least she has her funky bangs again. Stephen says he was hoping she would adjust to giving up rule of the Dark Dimension better. Stephen adresses her, and she says she'll be alright--she's been an exile before. But that was before the flames of regency ever touched her shoulders, and before she began thinking of the DD's problems as her own. When Topaz comes in and asks how things are, Clea doesn't repond, then apologizes later, saying she's under the weather. Stephen calls her aside to speak with her, but really tricked her into putting a sleeping spell on her. she catches on on begs for him not to, but he still does it. WTFFF. 29 Clea has been unconscious under Stehen's spell for 24 hours. wait. what the fuuuuck happened to just a few hours?? 30 when strange returns from battle, Clea is awake and fuckkkiiinng fuuurrioussss, which is easily granted. *32 covers what happened after that encounter. she tells him how dare he put her under a sleeping spell so he can run away and play hero with Rintrah and Topaz, ouch. He says he was trying to keep her out of danger, and she makes a comment about her "pretty little head," insinuasting that he's patronizing her, which he totally is. She tells him listen--she's not his disciple, this world doesn't even recognize her as his wife, now she wants some time to think about if she ever wants anything to do with him, either. I can't blame her, i'd be just as pissed. she says she MIGHT tell him where she's been when she coms back. HA! giving him a taste of his own medicine. Later, Stephen is fighting SIlver Dagger and losing, and Clea saves him. She tells him to save his fancy words, he's on his won now but he better win, because the world, and her, need him. When it's all over, she apologises for losing her temper, because she's too good for him. He needs to apologise too. He says he was being overptoective and she's not a child, damn right. He agrees no more sleeping spells. they embrace. *33 semi-clea cover. Clea runs in when Stephen is getting transported away and grabs onto him, being pulled with him. When he starts saying she shouldn't have come, she says they've already had the discussion about being overprotective. Thonos' maelstrom is sending them back in time. teaming up, they get out of the tunnel. They arrive at the library of Alexandria, Stephen explains it for Clea's sake as she is not native to this world and it's history. it appears that the library is burning, bits of paper fall all around them. there's some weirdness with Cleopatra, or maybe it's Zota. What they saw on fire was a grainhouse. Clea gets trapped in a mirror, stephen hands over the scorll of vishanti to save her. They eentually get back to their own time. *34 Rintrah and Pip walk in and Clea, Strange, and the other sorcerer working together. they bring Wanda back. She and Clea are charged with pouring over fragments that used to be THor--this is during Infinity Guantlet. *35 partial clea cover. Stephen returns from battle or whatever to ask Clea and Wanda if they've had any luck reassembling Thor, and Clea says she's afraid not. She says there is something odd about them, and how they don't give off any of the remnants you'd expect from a god of thunder. Wanda suggests tot hem that this man who died wasn't Odinson, as the avengers have had a hunch for a while now. Clea goes with Wanda and Strange to somewhere, and fight cerberus with Clea adding her magic to Stpehen's. they encounter hela, who looks honestly hilarious, she pulled them there while stephen set their course elsewhere. Wanda tells her they seek the life of THor. Clea uses Flames of the Faltine to keep cerberus at bay. _________________________________________________________________________________ she is able to help hold off the hordes with Stephen long enough for Masterson THor to revive, and help save the day. Clea wonders if they'll work as the "second front" Warlock asked him to asemble. 36 it's a post-infinity gauntlet party at the sanctum. Clea has long white hair now. He asks what he did to deserve a partty, clea whispers in his ear nothing bu saving the world. ke kisses her while levitating, and someone notes it to Wanda, who is clearly crushed. Morgana and his vampire brother Vic sneak off to neck together. Later, Gamoa and Pip show up, and Stephen goes off wuth them. Clea and Rintrah knock on his door, but he's not there. he shows back up a moment later, saying it was much longer for himself. They go back to partying. 38 Strange and Rintrah are play fighting, Clea is dressed in a weird pink and green outfit, telling Sara boys will be boys. well. that didn't age well. Apparently, today was Clea's first dat on the job at the Metaphysical institute, she tells him she's going to like it, studying what passes for "psi-powers in this relatively mundane Sphere." I guess sara trains or studies people who might have mental powers. today, while Clea was there, a regular came in panicking saying he has waking nightmares. He points to one, Sara doesn't see it but Clea does, and the guy thinks the fact that it's real is eve worse and tried to jump from the window. Clea saves him, and he is unconcious so no one witnesses her. Clea reports two other encounters on the way home of the same kind, where she could see the portal of their "nightmares" but Sara couldn't. Stephen thinks only those with innate natural abilities can see it. suddenly, the character on TV jumps out and knocks out stephen before diappearing into a wall. They all wind up in Nightmare's dimension, who orchestrated all this. Clea gets groped by demons before they all dsappear. Later, Clea and Stephen head out to face him. the TV exec adresses them as Dr and Mrs strange, whihc they are taken aback by. Clea feels something materializing, Stpehen notes her powers are still acute. no duh. At one point, the monster smacks her across the room spread eagle. At the end, stpehen gives a threat to nightmare and the crew, saying "we" will stamp them all out. Clea says she likes that he used We. 39 Clea on the cover. Clea is distracted, her mind is elsewhere. Sara suggests shes thinking of the DD, and Clea confirms it. She says fighting those beings in the last issue made her realize again she isn't human, and wants to know whats going on with her mother and her consort in the DD, she suggests Sara might be interested in going, but Sara says she isn't. um, awkward but ok. Stepehen agrees and says they'll look in on Umar and Mordo after they deal with the fear guys. When they go outside, it is black in the middle of the day. Clea notes stephen pushes the darkness back how she once did in the DD. their enemy here is Nox, a female villain. Clea says she and Rintrah can hold off the minions but in reality isn't sure they can and just said that so stephen wouldn't worry. Later, Rintrah asks to spare Clea's life, but Clea says she was a queen once and will die as it comes. Nox says Clea is the bane of night, and she will die first. Clea and Rintrah break free. 40 Daredevil gets a amessage from captive Dr Strange and goes to see Clea dn the others. Clea introduces herself as Doctor Stranges wife "i suppose". 41 Wolverine breaks intot he Sanctum and finds Strange and Clea in bed, he destorys the bed but they aren't there. they figure out that he's posessed, Clea checks on the sprite he back handed. He was sent by the undying ones, who clea says stephen defeated some time ago. Clea gets dressed and Strange asks her to stay as an anchor for him. Logan says Strange has a full house, Clea jokes he's lucky he didn't wake Rintrah. Logan throws himself and stephen into the portal, and Clea starts her spell to pull them out a the right time. She gets them through with her mystic aura on time. Clea embraces him and they get some prussian brandy. *Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1988) annual #2 Clea appears in E story, titled Purple Dimension. first appearance of her modern suit with black pants. Clea is singing in the bathtub when a tiny fairy appears, with a faltine head, calling her cousin. His name is Flyx, and he says he belongs to the branch of the Faltine under Sinifer, her grandfather. she refers to him as such and Flyx is surprised to hear such "vile language" from a former DD ruler, but notes she is only half faltine. He goes over the whole Umar and Dormammu history of leaving their people, and says his people do not hold being a physical form against her. there's some terribly drawn scenes of her getting out of the tub, which underboob and sideboob all done really poorly tbh. He says now he's here to take her back to the realm of the faltine. Basically theres a big faltine feud he neesd her to help with. She gets dressed in her new colors, and tells Flyx she isn't interested in family feuds, but will help as long as he helps her reclaim rule of the DD. She says stephen can have no part in it, since her people have seen him help her too much already as it is. She says she does need help, but not from her "cosmic law husband" hahaha. Instead, she will search for members of the Lords of the Netherworlds who hated Umar and Dormammu's rule and ask them for help. She says she vowed not to oppose Umar and Mordo's rule unless they became tyrants, and from what her sources have said, they have, to no surprise. So she's takning the Purple Jewel from Stpehen's archives and giving it back to the Lord of Nether that he took it from, Aggamon. Clea admits she doesn't have it all worked out and is playing it by ear, just doing what she knows she must. When they arrive, she refers to herself as Empress Emeritus of the DD. She jokes to Aggamon bout his title and getting business cards made, in the end he says he cannot help, but can show her some powerful gems she can buy to maybe get others to help her. Flyx thinks its a trap and Clea says why the hell not basically, it ends up being a trap. He puts them in a crystal designed to drain Faltians of the life force, but Clea is only half faltine so she uses non-faltine magic to reverse the aging process, the Flyx frees them. Clea threatens to destory Aggamon's realm, she's bluffing and Flyx has to go with it on the fly. In the end, she gets him to agree to give her all the gem weapons she needs when the time comes. This is the start to her journey in taking back the DD, which the ending says will continue in the main series. 42 Strange knocks a light out of the sky, it's Nova. she reports Galactus is coming to see him. She says she bumped into his protection spell and got discombobulated, and Clea comes in with a fairy she says isn't exacly a house fairy, named Flyx. He's the cousin fairy guy from the annual 2. Stephen explains Franke Ray isn't nude, that's just her form. Rintrah argues the opposite, and Nova says it doesn't matter since she has this new form anyway. Clea introdices herself and says she just got back from a trip, as seen in the annual. but her pants are purple again. Nova explains she and Galactus found Eternity catatonic in space, Strange knows she's keeping info from him but won't give it up, she says she can only say what Galactus wants her to. she starts arguing, then Steohen explains to her the earth is at risk and she gets it and stops. Clea steps in and speaks with stephen to the side, telling him there's something she's going to have to leave and do, by herself, and soon. Stepehn is distracted with rintrah and nova putting the place back together, and Clea contiinues that it converns her mother, then he's distracted again. Glaactus arrives, and Clea says that living in the DD the knew he'd never come for their world. Flyx asks if she is ready to go fight for the DD, and she says she can't leave her husband to fight galactus alone. Nova tries to keep things civil between strange and galactus but they end up fighting anyway. Clea and Rintrah help with the fallout. Strange ends having to go with him, and kisses Clea goodbye, telling her he loves her, and she looks very surprised. Instead of waiting around for him, she heads off on her mission. She leaves Rintrah guessing. 43 at the sanctum, Rintrah is attacked and Clea saves him. he asks where she went in the last issue, she says to chekc in on the DD and Umar's rule. she shows what she found--nothing. Darkness. She explains she's been seeking allies, like Aggamon of the purple dimension, and asks Rintrah to join her as well. He and Sara are shocked she's ask while Stephen is still gone, she explains she cares more for him than they ever will, but the DD is her home, and even a deposed ruler can feel obligation to their homeland. Rintrah declines, and she leaves angrily. 48 it's been almost 6 months since Clea's last appearance. In the DD, Clea challenges her mother. she's in black pants again. She's wearing an oh-so-endearing 90's styled outfit with a leg holster type rig and all. Flyx traps Umar and Mordu, but then it comes out that he is actually Dormammu! he is free. 49 Clea is barely able to get a message to strange, saying Dormammu is free and has absorbed the poweres of Mordu and Umar. 50 Stephen brings fellow male heroes to the DD to help the Dormammu situation. Meanwhile, Clea is tied bup by Dormammu, looking pleased with herself. Dormammu tells her he let her contact Stephen on purpose, and she spits on him. Later, Silver Surfer comes to her aid, freeing her. She reports dormammu has imprisoned the entiere human populatin of the DD, and they need to free them. he wants to exterminate all those made of matter, and then will turn to the earth. they beat him, Clea hugs strange. Dormammu returns briefly, claiming they have not tasted 1/10th of his power, but this domain is not worth the battle, and he says they can have it. Hulk points out it sounds like his ego is bruised. Clea tells stephen she can't return with him, as the DD is in chaos. Stephen says though a world away, they will always be as one, and they embrace. Midnight Sons Unlimited (1993) #6 Flashback to Clea with Stephen at an event, and she is enjoying the energy of Earth's youths. the man on stage tries to use clea as a sacrifice, strange stops him. the woman interrogating Stephen asks why Clea is so important, and he says who knwos why he felt the need to play teacher as well. the second story is another ft Clea, where she frees from posession., and makes Blade forget what he saw. She introduces herself to him and they walk off. the woman says he needs clea. he claims he loves her but does not need her. hm okay. then he tells a story of her being his anchor to reality, and how Clea was helpful in that situation. He admits while he said he doesn't need her, he definitely wants her. He decides he wants to say goodbye to her properly. Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme Annual (1992) #4 a character called Lala reviews a message from Clea. She says the DD has been in turmoil recently, due to vying ovelords wishing to rule it. She has discovered one practitioner of the old ways still lives, and they must find him so he can help them.when the mission goes sour, one of the men revelas themself to be Clea in disguise! they call her the supreme adept these days. She explains dormammu had to assume they would lose, so he wouldn't put out more defenses, which menat her not being there. Now, she has to use a prtal to get to Strange and ask for his help, for some reason since she already made a point of not wanting to do that. the last warrior with her ends up sacrificing himself so she can get away. Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #67, 73, 75, 78, 83 *67 Clea and strange kiss on the cover. it's been over a year and a half since Clea appeared in this series. She arrives in NY for stephen, but takes a moment to admire NYers. When the glow of her necklace fades, she will be returned to the DD. she thinks of how only stephen can save the day. again, weird change. when she arrives at the sanctum, she sees that it is gone. She transforms herself into a 90's biker chic look for some reason and heads off. She goes into a bar and the guys make rude comments towards her while she asks for the best men available. she's written like she's never been to earth before. then she has to play pool with them, and there's a massive ass shot. what the shit? there's a huge amount of time she wastes playing pool with them, because what, the writer had a kink? it's so random and poorly written. to half-assed make it work, the writer has her ask about the Sanctum's demolition while they play pool. it's so dumb. of all the things she could have done. She ginds out that the place exploded or burned down, and they heard through the grapevine that it's being hunted by a headless ghost claiming to be Strange. Clea is surprised that he didn't reach out for her help. She is angry when she thinks of him dead, and wins the game by a longshot. at least there's that. She demands the leader of the guys take her there, calling him slave and saying he can bring his friends. the guys think she might be kinky, so they go. She admits she is from annother realm, and spins them a story that he assulated her, for some reason. she asks the paperboy on the corner if strange has gotten his paper lately, but he doesn't recognize her. the men she broght with her end up cornering her in an alley, and she uses magic to save herself. She trips on an apparent homeless man? who says he saw strange taken by an imposter, i guess. the guy says there is a sorceress supreme now, and strange is dead. CLea is shocked, and heads off. off hwerever he is, strange is approached by Clea, who says she feels silly for having tried finding him any other way. they embrace, she reports she found him by feeling for him. she fills him in on what's been going on, and he acts too tortured to do anything. she explains to him that basically he torutures himself for no reason and should just let himself live, and he acts like this is some epiphany. but he can't help her, and she decides she can do it with or without him. yyyeah, that's what the last arc was about. She disappears back from whence she came and he is sad. wtf that creepy sister chick is mad clea exists and is jealous thats... definitely someone's fetish. 73 Clea hasn't appeared in comics for 6 months. I have this issue. She and her aid, Nobel, are in some desert wasreland looking place, heading to a meeting. They are going to a parlay with Dormammu, because this war has wipes him out as much as it has the rebel forces. Clea still doesn't trust him, and is worried this will be a bad decision in the long run. the scene is displayed really dramatically, with the last doezen or so infantry for Clea barely alive as they cross the desert of the Dark Dimension. Nobel thinks Dormammu must sign the treaty because he'll be just as bad off as them if they don't work together towards their mutual goals. Clea wonders to him if they would be resorting to these desperate measures if Stephen hadn't always put his own needs and goals before hers, referencing her asking him for help, and him knowing she needs help, but him not giving any. OOOOOO damn. Nobel responds he only hopes Strange thinks of her half as much as she thinks of him. ouch. Clea thinks back to events we havent yet been told about, where her father submitted to Dormammu once again, after entrusting Clea with their family crest: a black flag with two pink circles interlocked. Still, she witnessed his death by Dormammu's hands.She also insinuates he killed Umar, but she's alive rn, so idk. when she arrives at the treaty site, it is a burial ground under a dome. creatures called the Mori will atch over the event and broadcast it telepathically to residents of the DD. they are like salamanders, but human-size. Clea is called the Adept for some reason, now. they tell her and her poeple to deposit all weapons before entering the chamber. the bubble they go into is an anti-magic field, another way to keep this whole thing from going sideways. when Dormammu enters it, his magic is taken away, leaving just his pock-mark-filled, degenerate body. He tells Clea her father was a sycophant, her mother a harlot, and he never much cared for her. good way to start this off, bruh. He gives a speech about how he's the one who made the DD what it is today. When they sit to sign the treaty, Clea asks what addurance she has that he won't stab her in the back, and calls him her partner. He gets wild triggered and rips the spine out of one of his guards and chucks it at her like a spear, but Nobel gets in the way and it kills him. Clea's army tells her to get out, Dormammu rages about wanting to kill them all, the Mori simplt say "negotiations have ended." lol. As Clea and her people flee, dormammu turns back into himself and snatches her family flag. He commands the mindless ones better than before. Clea tells her lady they'll have to hide among the rocks. the woman asks what happens if Dormammu finds them, because they are only 6 now. Clea thinks to herself that that will be when they die. 75 as strange fights, he shows his opponent the horrors of the DD, including Clea and her pople fighting for their lives. He says never was there a more adept student, or braver woman. fucking about time he gives her those credits. He says despite everything, and it s quite a lot, she still loves him. and he loves her. In the Dark Dimenstion, Dormammu is getting frustrated and asks why his mindless ones havent destroyed the rebels yet. He is not fully back to his power, it returns slowly. Meanwhile, Clea is speaking with her dying advisor. She tells him she knows Dormammu will never attain full control of this dimension again, he just refuses to see that truth. She says she will avenge his death, and thinks to herself how first she lost Stephen, and now Noble. As he dies, Noble tells her he was building a hoome for them together. Clea is left wondering what that meant. She stands and thinks to herself how her and Dormammu's only purposes left is to assassinate one another. So je calls out to him in a battle cry, demandung to fight. one of her last 3 soldiers comes to her aid, and her powers return. the last of her fighters burn in mystic flames as she fights off the mindless ones, an army of one, now. Dormammu, half a wrinkly ballsack now, comes with an axe to kill her. just then, the copy stephen or whatever shows up and whisks her off. He says he is neither Stephen nor Noble but also both, and her eis here for her. oh, he's called Paradox, okay. 78 a few months later. okay. this is a fucking wacky-ass era for strange, and that's saying a lot. strange is on a date....k. he's like....not himself. it's fucking weird, man. he tells his date the white cat he has is called Clea. After some magic crap Strange finally thinks about the real Clea, and we see what she's up to. Paradox and Clea blast some structure with their magic. CLea has a cape again lol. Paradox says he'll go investigate and Clea asks him not to treat her like a child. they are approached by a former telepathic advisor to dormammu who wishes to defect. He reports that citizens are being turned into angry, raging, magic using creatures. he can almost control them, adn at that point he would offer them to Clea. She wonders what the real stephen would do in this situation. 83 another 6 months later, almost. Clea, Sorceress Adept, is fighting one last war. Strange watches, aware she needs help. he gets in a tussle and realizes he can't aid her. welp. at the end of the issue he says he failed cela and failed himself. must be nice that your own failures don't negatively impact yOUR life. this is the last Dr Strange issue clea appears in tunil 2016. The Order #3-6 3 Val is fencing her kind-of mother while her kind-of father rides Aragorn and Hellcat watches on a towel....oookay. Hellcat pops in on She-Hulk and Triathlon, to tell them she, Val, and Nighthawk are trying to stop this nonsense of the Order taking over the world. In the DD, Clea is still waging war. for some reason, they changed the people of the DD to be dressed in rennaisance warrior outfis, like gladiators and shit. BIG difference than what they were before, I wonder if that was a concious statement on their society bein war-torn or just the artist not giving a shit. She tells one of her generals to submit if he wants, but she will not. Just then, Hellcat, She-Hulk, Val and the others pop in. SHe says she can't go help them, but Hellcat says if she does, they'll come back and help her. So she gpes, leaving htings with that same general. there is no way in hell he isn't totally betraying her. I guess they needed CLea because they needed a female analogue of each member of the Order, who are twisted original Defenders. 4 ladies cover that I have. Clea says she doesn't look forward to what lies ahead. They attack Silver Surfer first, and CLea stabs him with the knife of two worlds, which hits the right spot and subdues him. She says she is a born sorceress, she knows what shes doing. She calls out a spell to Umar and Hecate, wow lol. He bleeds out a being who calls herself Ardina. the order arrives, and they fight. Clea tells stephen they were once bonded as man and wife, so I guess at this point the writers have kind of given up on their relationship. She is also angry that he apparentlhy tried to kill Nighthawk. 5 Clea says she think she agree's with SHe-Hulk that they were all meant to die just now. Val says it doesn't matter, now. Clea casts her a spell of levitation during the fight. Hellcat greets the guy calling himself Scientist Supreme, and says he knows where they are. Later, Clea says Stephen and the others may not be at fault for what happened to them, but they should have habdled their reaction to it better. 6 Hellcat leads the other part-time Defenders as tehy join the fight against the Order. Clea is afraid they are too late, and Nighthawk says it's never too late. Clea takes She-Hulk, Ardina, and Namorita to engage the order. Clea calls out that they've discovered what's truly going on and are here to help them. When Surfer tries to attack Ardina, Clea sweeps her away out of trouble with the winds of watoom. Clea reminds the gorup to dodge and deflect, but not to attack. Some guy from Yann is definitely a rip-off of Adam Strange. Papa hagg talks to Clea and the others later but is struck by magic lightning and knocked unconcious. WHen it is all over, Clea says she fully intends to hold the Defenders to their promise of helping save her world, but for now they all need to rest. Captain America/Nick Fury: The Otherworld War (2001) #1 the army people get stuck in the DD and scare off a bunch of citizens while asking around for what they're looking for. CLea is the only one who doesn't run off, she's perched on a tree branch. She says to them she is not a little girl, she is Clea. She reports she hasn't seen anyone new besides them, but she has heard the noises they describe, and heads off to show them where. weirdly she says Dormammu is the wisest of them all and the savior of the land. um. what. ooooh this is a flashback. gotcha. but that means she's in the totally wrong outfit and look. Clea brings her people to watch what goes on. as the guys leave, fury thinks to himself that it isn't how it looks, which I guess it because they're kind of just leaving her to tis waste. Clea thinks to herself that not all strangers are bad. Hulk (2008) #10 another flashback. Stephen and Clea fight the mindless ones, and she gets pulled through a portal. The Mystic Hands of Dr. Strange (2010) #1 flashback. Strange comes home to discover Clea getting ready to rob a bank. She has robin-hood like intentions, but Strange can see through it that her beliefs have been reshaped. He frees her, she asks what happened. Clea checks him into an institution under disquise, so he can see wahts happneing inside. in the end, he fails, but Clea tries to make him feel better. Fearless Defenders (2013) #7, 9, 11-12 7 Anabelle Riggs in in Valhalla after sacrificing herself for Valkyrie. Valkyrie, pondering the situation, believs that Anabelle deserves to live, and has a few favors to call in. Clea arrives, having sense the trolls Dormammu sent for her. SHe is labeled as the exiled ruler of the DD, which is kind of odd because that whole arc of her people rebelling just...never got finished. they're pleased to see one another. Clea tsakes a moment to brainwash the trolls onto her side, then sends them back to Dormammu, where they will try to assassinate him. she jokes it will remind dormammu she should rank higher than troll assassins. But now that he knows she's there, she can't hide in Valhalla anymore. She says hiding here was a favor from Val; and she sense Val has a favor to ask in return. Val explains Anabelle's story, and Clea tells her isn't that the story of most heroes, dying too soon? She asks what makes this death differnet. Val finally admits she wants Clea to bring Anabelle back from the dead, and Clea says it isn't that simple. Clea starts to reject the idea until Val says Stephen could do it, and Clea tells her they'll need a sacrifice. tehy approach Anabelle in the halls of Valhalla. it's awkeard for a moment, but Anabelle tells Valkjyrie she can live with the way she died, so to say. Clea has them take each other's hands, and does some magic, then tells them she thinks it is done. Anabelle asks her if she's alive, and she repsonds she can go back to the land of the living. they leave, and head to Misty's place. SHe's thriled to see Anabelle alive, but asks about Val. She is the new host to Valkyrie, and CLea noets it may take a while to get used to the changes. 9 Clea and a bunch of other Defenders women are fighting off billains in the street. Stephen says Clea was his greatest student, his best friend, and his lover. he's hurt that she hasn't sought his aid since returnign to the earthly realm. as his voiceover says he wishes she hadn't forgot their partnership so easily, the page shows Clea arriving at his snactum only to see him with some strippers inside, and leaving absolutely crushed. When they joint he fight together, Clea tells stpehen it is good to see him, and that she wants a divorce. 11 Clea and Misty play "bad cop/demonically powered cop" lol 12 Clea, Musty, and Dani pop in on Franky Ray. Clea uses magic to light their path. Clea fights Aradnea with Magic. Doctor Strange Annual (2016) #1 Clea arrives at the front door of the Sanctum. Strange is surprised to see her.She transforms into her sorceress outfit, which is new, when he asks to take her coat. she greets wong. he takes her to the kitchen and they sit across from one another. SHe gets her some tea, he asks if she's there to help, and she says maybe. He says he could really use her help right now. She says whatever power she has left isn't his to stockpile and call upon whenever he'd like like a magical tool. He asks where she was when the Empirkull came.she says she was nowhere and everywhere, which in the art we can see she had to fight for her life and landex somewhere dakr and cold. she sys she is here now. She asks him if he remembers when they first got married. He says of course he does, he thought that would last forever. Clea says their marriage is a mystical union, he repeats the vow of their wedding rings. He says it didn't work out that way, she says there were demons to fight and dark dimensions to rule. Clea says she is here because she still has pwers, and she is worried their mystical union is draining him of whatever he has left. She reminds him that she left before because the growin imbalance of their powers was too much to bare--IE, she was more powerful than him and his ego was crushed by that. She gets him to go into WOng's room when they can't find himshe tells him hurry up before she falls asleep.they go inside and the door slams shut behind them, showing them WOng fighting a creature in space. She says she is not at full strength. then Zelma walks in, back from 2 weeks of vacation in Jamaica. She tells Clea she likes her leotard, clea asks if she's always like this and she says no id on't wear leotards. Clea tells her to shut up and siphons power off of her to fight with. the demon is entrapped by her, and Zelma is pissed off necause Clea used her sense of peace to trap the demon. lmao. Then an envelope arrives. Clea enchanted it to arrive when it was needed, and it is a tool to dissolve unions. Stephen uses it to dissolve his contract with the worker who was teh demon. when it's all over, Clea begins to leave. They tel each other they are still magically bound, just not by love. She says it was wonderful while it was wonderful, but they can't continue like this when they're not married or together. He tells her he isn't ready to undo what they did all those years ago, but Clea says this hasn't been a productive relationship in years. THey agree friendship is a powerful force. She'll remain witht he ring. not forever, but for now. at the end, Zelma calls out Strange for using Clea to gain her trust back, because she's just like the magical objects he collects and he wants to keep that around. Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme (2016) #5, #12 5 flashback of Clea and strange fighting in the Dark Dimension. Newton is really condescending but she jsut rolls his comments off. 12 Clea is among the socerers Merlin brings to the fight. Doctor Strange (2015) #25, 385, 389 25 a flashback to when Clea was in her original outfit. 385 Clea appears as one of many magical beings who feel it when magic stuff happens. 389 Damnation tie-in. Strange fills Clea in at the dinner table. She makes a comment about how she wishes she could have seen that. She asks why he think Mephisto used her image to lure him, and he guesses outdated information. She retorts if it's outdated, why did it work so perfectly? She tells him to stop being such a baby. He says he's had a troubling year, and she asks as opposed to the untroubling years? what's different now? He gets sad, and she says I see, knowing it is Velma. she tells him for god's sake just go home and call her. Asgardians of the Galaxy (2018) #4 Flashback to Clea and Val hanging out during their defenders days. oh, okay no it's just some recent friend talks, because Anabelle is sharing her body. They make some jokes, then Val brings u why she needs help. She's worried Anabelle will acompany her into battle one too many times, and die with her. forshadowing because that is what happens. Clea says she'll look into it, but she's Anabelle's anchor on the mortal plane, so it's unlikelty. Doctor Strange (2018) #13-17 13 Clea shows up to help him. SHe's back in her 2nd outfit. she tells him he popped up at the worst possible time, and refers to herself as his ex-wife. I prefer the idea that they are seperated life partners, as was more or less discussed in that annual. he passes out and wakes up under her care. she tells him she and her allies have hidden galactus away for the time being, and her ally is Umar, her mother and siter to Dormammu. Clea says she knows they may regret her aid. interstingly, when stephen reacts he doesn't mention her being Umar's daughter, just that Umar was the sister to Dormammu. Also noteworthy that Umar carries the flame of the Faltine, signifying she rules the Dark Dimension, now. Umar says they had been negotiating peace among the various magical lands before Strange interrupted, and the narration states CLea despises Umar, which isn't quite true. When a message from the DD comes in for clea and umar, the messenger calls them "majesties."Clea says she will go with strange, and he wishes Umar luck. they immediately are attacked by a raging Galactus, who would have killed him if it wasn;t for clea's help. stephen offers himself as herald, adn Clea objects, 14 Clea on the cover in her most modern look, that she wasn't wearing in the last issue. while they wait for Stephen's return, Clea tells Galactus that she and Umar's coalition will be able to take him down if Stephen should fail his mission. Stephen does return, and they begin taking Galactus through the universe to their dstination. as they go, sephen realizes he's an idiot for ever letting his wife leave him, he treasures her. she chalenges him and makes him stronger. he thinks fate has given him a second change here, and he won't dissapoint. they still haven't heard from Umar. stuff starts going wrong so he send Clea to see whats up. Umar goes to Mephisto and CLea tries to save her but they both end up in a cage. 15 Clea and Umar are in Mephisto's domain, under his spell. they make a deal and he sends them to an are aof hell wher you can go anywhere. Before Clea goes off with Umar, she says goodbye to stpehen, and he is reminded of how much she matters to him. Clea gets a number of the mystic kings to join her efforts, but she worries it won't be enough. they call her out on Stephen meaning a lot to her. 16 Clea on the cover in her most modern outfit, again. Umar and Clea talk about the battle and Clea corrects Ex when Umar referes to stephen as her husband. Umar thinks he has abandoned them, Clea is hanging on the the hope he has a plan. After Galactus consumes Sattannish, the heroes and stephen finaly arrive. stephen thinks how he wants to know if he's won back her heart. as stephen heads off Clea tell shim she loves him. meh. 17 he undoes time and puts it back to 4 days ago. clea watches the DD.wtf he shows up and wipes the memory of him? yyyeeaaaah we can just pretend that refrigerator bullshit didn't just happen, thanks. Asgardians of the Galaxy (2018) #9 After Ren finds out Annabelle is gone because Val is dead, Clea shows up to her and tells her they don't have much time. she explains the whole things about Fearless Defenders and how she attached Annabelle to Brunhilde, but they're not the same being. Clea is wearing her most modern look, but with more black. they don't exist in the same body, she says, so Annabelle is alive, somewhere. she needs Ren to locate her thorugh their connection. Clea taps into Skurge's Ax to help them cross space and time. She takes them to the mists surrounding Vlahalla, She says Annabelle goes to a lodge here that Val has when they switch bodies, ad they joke it;s like a time out. they find annavelle and Clea says she'll use the axe again to teleport them all back. Death of Doctor Strange (2021) #2 Clea appears in the first issue in a photograph Stehen keeps looking at forlorny. It ends with the modern Strange dead, and Strange from between Strange Tales (v.1) #126 (clea's first appearance) and #146 (Clea's naming) is in our modern world, apprently helping with the investigation. This issue starts by reporting that the Warlords of the Dark Dimension are apparently invading various prts of Earth. We discover this to not be the case with the arrival of Clea, calling mentally out to Stephen before her appearance. She arrives in a new costume altogether, purple and black, but intriguingly different than her usual looks. Gone is the leotard altogether, replaces by a shoulder-less, functional corset-style top, cascading down into a partial purple skirt (the 3 big ol slits kind) over her usual purple pants with black circles: the only mainstay of her classic look. THe neckline of her top is a sheer halter fabric, again no shoulders, but she has long sleeves the peak at the upper arm with zig-zag cuts. the odd shoulders of her classic look have been removed entirely and replaced, in a way, with a spidery black collar, similar to Dormammu's. Her hair is realistically cropped and wavy, and a torn up black cape drapes behind her, not over the shoulders. the thing is? this is 100% going to be her MCU look. the specific usefullnes of the pieces that were changed, AND the fact that it looks exactly like the blurry concept art that leaked a few months ago, tells me this is either what they're designing her MCU look off of, or it itaelf is designed off her MCU look. Clea lands in Stephen's arms, immeditaly recognizing him as not HER Stephen. He only recognizes her as the girl from the Dark Dimension, hence the time period I know he's from.She reprts the Warlords of the Outer Planes are not invading, but Fleeing. They are fleeing the 3 mothers, who have great timing and show up as she mentions them. they are hunting magical beings, and end up fighting the avengers and beating their asses. They tell the remaining magical folks, Clea included, that they have time, and will not just be back or her, but for them all.
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