Why Doctor Strange 2 Is America Chavez's MCU Debut

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness producer Richie Palmer explains why new hero America Chavez is debuting in the upcoming sequel. The Young Avengers hero will be portrayed by Xochitl Gomez in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Gomez stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams.

While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue the story of Stephen Stranges' (Cumberbatch) tamperings with the state of reality and the Scarlet Witch's (Olsen) quest to reunite with her seemingly lost family, the sequel will also add new characters and lore to the MCU. The sequel will see the debut of America Chavez, a hero from another universe who made her debut in 2011. While in the comics Chavez's powers and abilities include flight, super strength, energy projection, invulnerability, and inter-dimensional travel, the MCU America Chavez will focus on her interdimensional abilities, making her a perfect choice to appear in the sorcerer's journey into the mystery of the multiverse, according to one of the film's producers.

As part of an interview for D23 Magazine surrounding the upcoming sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange (Later reported by ComicBook), Palmer explained why they chose to have Chavez appear in Multiverse of Madness rather than any other entry into the MCU franchise. Palmer revealed that Chavez was a character that had been considered for the MCU for some time and that her multiversal powers made her a perfect choice for the upcoming film. Explaining how Chavez's powers allowed her to pass through the multiverse, Palmer stated that not only were her abilities unique, but they made her the perfect foil for Strange and Wong (Wong), due to them having the duty of preserving balance. Check out Palmer's full response below.

"America is someone we've been trying to get into the MCU for a long time. This felt like the best place to do it, because 'Multiverse' is in the title and her powers specifically have to do with the Multiverse – her powers being that she can punch open doorways to other universes. That's something we haven't seen in our movies, a character who can actually walk from one universe to another. That's maddening in itself for characters such as Doctor Strange and Wong, whose jobs are to protect those barriers."

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer

While Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is tight-lipped about plans for the Young Avengers in the future of the MCU, Chavez is the latest member of the comic book team to feature in the MCU. It is rumored that through Scarlet Witch's quest in Multiverse of Madness, an older version of her children, Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd, will be introduced to the MCU, who will then go on to become the heroes Wiccan and Speed. Meanwhile, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier featured Eli Bradley (Elijah Richardson), grandson of Isaiah Bradley who would later become the hero Patriot, while Hawkeye introduced the new Hawkeye Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), another member of the young hero team. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will also see Cassie Lang, now portrayed by Kathryn Newton, become a hero. While no solid plans have been revealed to audiences, Steinfeld expressed her excitement at being part of the MCU when asked about the possible team-up.

While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is shaping up to be a film featuring an incredibly ambitious premise and equally ambitious rumored cast, it may be concerning to hear that the film will feature so many characters, but Palmer's response perfectly explains why Chavez is best introduced here. While other pieces of recently released Marvel media have toyed with the multiverse, like Loki and Marvel's What If..?, their premises and characters wouldn't have been the best way to introduce her character. Not only will Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness explore the multiverse, but setting up Chavez as a potential foil for Strange could lead to some unique challenges for the sorcerer in terms of power and ideals.

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Source: ComicBook