A lot of the hype surrounding Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is centering on the familiar faces who are returning in front of, and behind, the camera — including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. But the upcoming sequel will also be looking to the MCU’s future, too, by introducing an exciting new heroine into the mix. Namely, America Chavez, as played by Xochitl Gomez.
While she didn’t feature in the first trailer released in conjunction with Spider-Man: No Way Home, America was showcased in the second trailer that broke the internet when it dropped last month. Fans were thrilled to get our first look at the popular comics character in the flesh. And so, it turns out, was Gomez herself.
While speaking to Phase Zero’s Brandon Davis at the Moon Knight premiere, the star recalled her reaction when the trailer first landed.
“It was pretty insane,” Gomez admitted. “I was in the car and my phone just kept going off and off and I was like, ‘Oh my god! People are seeing it!’ The wonderful reaction is just like… It warms my heart!”
For those unaware, America Chavez — who also goes by the superhero alter ego Miss America — is a superpowered teen from another universe with the ability to generate star-shaped portals to other realities. It’s currently somewhat unclear how she’ll fit into the plot, but it seems likely that she’ll be responsible for how Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange hops from dimension to dimension in the movie.
America will form part of the film’s Team Strange, then, alongside Benedict Wong’s Wong and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. Raimi has previously teased a fun dynamic between America and the not-quite Sorcerer Supreme as know-it-all Strange will be thrown for a loop when faced with a 15-year-old who knows more about the multiverse than he does.
It’s likely the recent trailer was just the beginning of a long and illustrious career in the MCU for Gomez and America Chavez. Catch her in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when it blasts into theaters on May 6.
