Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madnessis posed to be one of the most anticipated movies in Phase 4 of the MCU. With Sam Raimi directing, the introduction of the multiverse, and the number of other characters (both familiar and new) set to be showing up in the film, it has a lot of fans in an eager frenzy, anxiously awaiting any little piece of news about this newest installment in Stephen Strange’s story. The tone is supposed to be darker than what the MCU is used to, and with a newly Scarlet Witch-ified Wanda making an appearance, there’s a lot to be excited about.
But Wanda isn’t the only character with special abilities that’s going to be making her way intoMultiverse of Madness. America Chavez - or Miss America, as she’s often referred to as - is going to be a player inthis next Doctor Strange storyas well, and will be portrayed by actress Xochitl Gomez. This news was exciting for comics fans, but anyone who isn’t familiar with her story in the source material may not understand what all the fuss is about. Who is America Chavez and what makes her special?
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America is a character who first appeared in the 2011 limited series “Vengeance” and was created by Joe Casey and Drew Dragotta. While this was her first Marvel appearance and it saw her join the Teen Brigade, she was still a much lesser-known character until shejoined the Young Avengersin their 2013 comic run. She also, during the Secret Wars, joined the all-female superhero team A-Force (which was referenced in the scene inAvengers: Endgamewhere all the female heroes join together on the battlefield).
America comes from a dimension called the Utopian Parallel, which is a place that is entirely inhabited by women,doesn’t exist within the regular time stream(and has no real concept of time to begin with), and is ruled over by a being called the Demiurge, who created it. The Demiurge gave America her powers, which include superhuman strength, flight, super speed, energy blasts, and (most importantly) the ability to create interdimensional portals with her fists.
When America was about six years old, her home reality wason the brink of destructionand her two mothers sacrificed themselves in order to save it. America was able to escape the Utopian Parallel by creating a portal through the Multiverse, which caused her to travel through different realms, essentially becoming a reality-hopping superhero. She eventually took on the title of Miss America, and as previously mentioned, joined the Teen Brigade and the Young Avengers.
America joins the Young Avengers at first to keep tabs on Kid Loki, who she has been embroiled in conflict with, but eventually bonds with the team and uses her portals to transport them across dimensions while they are on the run from Mother, the parasitic villain of the series. America becomesclose friends with Kate Bishop(aka the new Hawkeye), and they appear in multiple comic runs together. Kate Bishop, of course, is going to be making her MCU debut in the Disney Plus showHawkeye, and so it’s entirely possible that the two characters willl become good friends in the MCU as well.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madnesswill be America’s entrance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it makes perfect sense for her to come along now. Her most well-known power set involves interdimensional travel through the Multiverse, which seems like it’s going to be a big part of the MCU in Phase 4. With the idea of alternate universes being introduced to the MCU (and definitely being explored inMultiverse of Madness), there’s no better time to introduce America Chavez to the MCU as well. Perhaps she could even show upin future seasons ofLoki, because of her Multiverse connections and her ties to Loki - albeit a much younger version - as a character.
Not only can America help usher in the age of the Multiverse to the MCU, but she can also provide some much-needed diverse representation. America will be the first major Latina MCU superhero, as well as the first lesbian one. Marvel has been particularlylacking in LGBTQ+ representation, and it would be great to see more queer characters on screen. America is a huge step towards that, and could be a great role model for other young people watching her on-screen who will finally see themselves represented in an MCU film.
Fans are already excited about America’s debut in the MCU, and hopefully she’s given enough screen time to be able to shine in a movie that’s already going to be jam-packed with character appearances and crazy interdimensional action (presumably). With America added to the fold, the MCU is one step closer to havinga Young Avengers team to pull together, which is an exciting thought for anyone who is a fan of that team in particular. Marvel hasn’t been exactly on the ball in terms of representation in the past, so here’s hoping that they treat America’s story with care and make her into a fully fleshed-out character in the MCU, because she’s going to be a great addition to their superhero roster.
