Last year Xochitl Gomez shot to stardom thanks to her role as America Chavez, the multiverse-hopping teen on the run from some pretty nasty demons in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Following the trend we’re seeing in a lot of MCU movies right now, it looks like she’s being set up to follow in the footsteps of Stephen Strange, maybe she’ll be the new sorcerer supreme when Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong decide to call it a day.
Either way, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of her in the coming years, be it in the MCU or outside of it, where she’s already winning over the public with her appearance on Dancing With the Stars. Fans were particularly impressed with her Foxtrot this week with Gomez and her partner Valentin Chermovskiy impressing the judges and swiftly getting through to week four. All of this has got us wondering, what are Xochitl Gomez’s best roles? We know her from the MCU, but where else do we know her from?
Matty Paz is a Noob
This DreamworksTV show follows Matty Paz, a major league gamer who’s just started middle school. The premise is a bit weak, but it’s a show for kids and it definitely brings the laughs. It only ran for six episodes and Gomez only makes an appearance in one as Lily, so it’s only a small role, but a pretty great showcase of her talents, all the more impressive when you consider she was around 11 or 12 at the time.
Shadow Wolves
If you like military thrillers then you might enjoy this film, but to tell the truth it has plenty of problems. However, there are a few moments when it shines, and most of those moments involve Gomez. The actress gives a pretty great performance, so good that she even won a Best Performance in a Feature Film – Teen Artist award.
Raven’s Home
The follow-up series to the Disney channel classic, the reboot saw Raven Baxter raising her children as a single mother. Gomez’s role is small, she appears in one episode as “school journalist,” never to be seen again. To be fair, this was back in 2018 and she’d only had a few minor roles at this point, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t have a massive part to play.
You’re the Worst
This hybrid of comedy, drama, and romance follows two toxic, self-centered people who start a relationship and inevitably clash. It’s an enjoyable show, and the two leads have great chemistry. Once again, Gomez only has a minuscule role, this time as “Eclipse Kid,” but it still counts as one of the best shows she’s been in.
Gentefied
This Netflix series tells the story of three Mexican-American cousins trying to pursue their dreams whilst dealing with the gentrification of their neighborhood. Gomez plays a younger version of one of our main characters, Ana, and we get to see how she discovers her love for Yessika during the flashback. It’s a pretty great show with a lot of heart that deals with a multitude of issues, but unfortunately it got cancelled after it’s second season.
Roped
Honestly, this feels a bit like a Hallmark original movie, but if you’re into cheesy and predictable but ultimately well-intentioned rom-coms then you’ll have a great time. The Netflix original’s got a traveling rodeo, cowboys and forbidden love, actually it’s kind of a Footloose knock-off but that’s okay, Footloose is a great movie.
Casper Van Dien is even in it for some reason, playing a man who hates traveling rodeos with a burning passion, which sucks for him because his daughter is literally in love with one of them; a tale as old as time. Gomez plays Emma, who we see the main character’s little brother dancing with at the end.
The Baby-Sitters Club
Based on the book series by the same name, The Baby-Sitters Club was praised for its faithfulness to the source material whilst also managing to appeal to modern audiences, so it’s fair to say it was a pretty big success.
Gomez plays Dawn Schafer, part of the main cast in the first season making it one of her most memorable roles, at least until Doctor Strange 2 came out. She didn’t return for the second season and instead her character was recast with Kyndra Sanchez stepping in. This was mostly due to scheduling conflicts, as by this point Gomez had been cast as America Chavez something which became the priority. COVID was still a thing at this point, too, and it’s something that Gomez claims stopped her from going between the two projects.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
It’s not the best Marvel movie, but I’ve got a soft spot for this film. Sam Raimi’s iconic and horrific flair really separates it from the rest of Marvel’s content, and America Chavez is definitely one of the standout characters. In many ways she feels more like the protagonist than Doctor Strange as the plot revolves around her and her ability to travel through the multiverse. Being a part of the Marvel universe is a big deal for an actor, so naturally Gomez’s role in one of the MCU’s biggest hits propelled her to stardom, making her a household name overnight.
What will we see Xochitl Gomez in next?
Since Doctor Strange 2 Gomez has been pretty quiet, but she’s only 17, so she has plenty of time. Obviously she’ll be returning to the MCU with the actress on course to reprise her role as America in the future, but she’ll also be appearing in upcoming sci-fi thriller, Ursa Major. Gomez has already appeared in so many great TV shows and movies at such a young age, and we’ll likely be seeing her in a lot more, so watch this space.