Who Is Marvel's America Chavez?

Disney's 2020 Investor Day has officially ended, but it's left behind a wealth of announcements and exciting additions to Disney+, Star Wars, Marvel, and more. One truly surprising piece of news is the upcoming introduction of the character America Chavez into the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the sequel to the 2016 film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character. Also appearing in the Sam Raimi-directed film are returning cast members Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, alongside Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, coming off of the upcoming WandaVision television series.

The new character Chavez will be played by actress Xochitl Gomez, who plays Dawn Schafer in Netflix's The Baby-Sitters Club. Gomez's involvement in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was announced back in October by Deadline, but her role was still a mystery. Thankfully, that has finally been cleared up, and fans are excited. Chavez is a newer addition to Marvel Comics, with her first appearance in the 2011 limited series Vengeance, before starring alongside the likes of Kate Bishop, Billy Kaplan, Teddy Altman, and even Kid Loki in Young Avengers Vol 2, the 2013 series written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie. But who exactly is Miss America?

Born and raised by her mothers in a Utopian Parallel realm separate from time and space, Chavez is forced to flee into the main multiverse when her home is threatened. Wearing an iconic American flag denim jacket and shorts, the only tool Chavez needs to fight is her fists. She has the power to smash portals through the timeline and multiverse, introduced in the comics as a Fuertona Starling. Along with that, she has super strength and speed, is nearly indestructible, and can fly, with likely a few more handy skills.

While she has definitely proven herself a capable hero, Chavez is also a benefit to representation and diversity in Marvel Comics. Chavez is a lesbian, officially confirmed by the character during her time with the Young Avengers. She then became the first Latin-American queer character to star in an ongoing series when she got her own series, America, in 2017, written by Gabby Rivera. Her addition in the Doctor Strange sequel and other projects going forward is a huge step for diversity in the MCU as well. Fans simply cannot wait to see Chavez kicking butt on the big screen come March 25, 2022.