Marvel’s new LGBT+ superhero has a tragic backstory: Meet Doctor Strange 2’s America Chavez

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will introduce fans to America Chavez, with a new trailer giving fans an early glimpse of the queer teen hero.

Trailers for the upcoming Marvel sequel are keeping the plot a closely guarded secret. But one thing that has been confirmed is the introduction of a new queer character who looks set to be a key player.

America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, can be seen in the official Doctor Strange 2 trailer confronting a giant mummy-like creature in the multiverse, working alongside other sorcerers and punching an unknown foe.

While she is relatively new to the MCU, America Chavez is a powerful hero in the Marvel comics with a tragic backstory.

She is originally a princess from the Utopian Parallel, a realm outside of conventional time and the multiverse.

When she was six, her perfect paradise home was in danger of being destroyed after mysterious forces created horrific dimensional rifts that threatened to kill its inhabitants and pull the Parallel into the multiverse.

So Chavez’s two mothers sacrificed their lives to seal these rifts, and their particles are scattered across all reality.

Inspired by their courage, America Chavez left her home and carried out heroic deeds in other universes.

By the time she was a teen, Chavez came to live on Earth-616, a version of Earth in which most Marvel comics take place. It’s there that she joined the Young Avengers.

By the end of the Young Avengers series, Chavez came out as a lesbian after a brief relationship with her former teammate, Ultimate Nullifier. She even flirted with fellow Young Avenger member Kate Bishop, who was introduced to the MCU in the Disney series Hawkeye.

In the comics, Chavez possesses superhuman strength, durability and speed. She can also create interdimensional portals by punching or stomping her foot.

Her amazing abilities plus her knowledge of the multiverse will invariably come in handy in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film has also aged Chavez down from her young adult self to around 15, so it will be intriguing to see how she expresses her LGBT+ identity as she does in the comics.

Promotional merchandise has hinted that Chavez will be out and proud in the upcoming film.

An America Chavez-themed shirt featured details from the iconic hero’s denim jacket, including an LGBT+ Pride pin. The shirt also included the message “Amor es Amor”, which is Spanish for “love is love”.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in cinemas on 6 May.

• Dec 01 2023

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