Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi praises America Chavez and the MCU's move towards diversity. After a solo outing in 2016 and several team-up movies, including Avengers: Endgame and, most recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange is set to return for another mind-bending adventure in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film picks up after the unleashing of the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home and sees Cumberbatch's character team up with Wong (Benedict Wong) and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) in order to defeat evil multiverse variants of himself.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also introduces audiences to several new characters, including the Latin-American America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez. Initial trailers don't reveal too much about Chavez's role in the film but, in the comics, Chavez is a superhero who possesses super strength, flight, and the ability to open portals between realities, eventually taking on the superhero name Miss America. The upcoming Doctor Strange sequel will also acknowledge Chavez as an LGBTQ+ character, which has already resulted in Saudi Arabia and Egypt banning the film.

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In an exclusive new interview with Screen Rant, Raimi praises Chavez and Marvel's push for diversity in the MCU. Raimi calls Chavez a "heroic figure" and says that the character will help represent people who have previously been underrepresented. Check out Raimi's full comment below when asked about working with Gomez and bringing Chavez to life:

"It's great, because I love the fact that Marvel's very inclusive, and this young Latina can now represent a heroic figure for many people out there that were underrepresented before."

spider man no way home america chavez role details

Back in 2012, with the first Avengers film, the MCU consisted mostly of white male heroes, with the only female hero being Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. Since then, the MCU has made a concerted effort to introduce audiences to a more diverse slate of heroes. Although in the eyes of many fans (and Falcon actor Anthony Mackie), the MCU still has a long way to go when it comes to diversity and representation, films like Black Panther and the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would seem to indicate Marvel is on the right path.

It remains to be seen how prominently America Chavez will feature in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but trailers and promotional material suggest the role will be far more than just a cameo. It's likely that, with her introduction in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, Chavez will appear in more MCU projects moving forward, potentially even her own spinoff film or Disney+ series. While the MCU still has ground to cover when it comes to adequate representation and diversity, Raimi clearly believes that Chavez's inclusion in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a step in the right direction.

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