'Doctor Strange 2': Meet America Chavez, the LGBTQ+ superhero of the MCU
Marvel’s latest cinematic offering, ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ is about to release on May 5. Sam Raimi will direct Benedict Cumberbatch’s return as Dr. Stephen Strange. In the sequel, Dr. Stephen has cast a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, his associate Wong, and Wanda Maximoff to deal with.
When the movie arrives in theaters, audiences will meet America Chavez, the Marvel comic book character brought to life by young actor Xochitl Gomez. Director Sam Raimi’s sequel will acknowledge the queer sexuality of the character.
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Who is America Chavez and what are her powers?
America Chavez is a character that was introduced in the Marvel comic 'Vengeance' in 2011. She was later given her standalone series in 2017, making her the first lesbian Latin-American character to star in her own Marvel comic series. Her superpowers include superhuman strength and durability as well as super speed. She is also known to burst a star-shaped projectile which is very destructive. She has the power to kick open portals to other dimensions. This allows her and other people to walk into different realities and multiverses.
The addition of the fan-favorite character has already received praise, with her inclusion seen as a win for representation, as Latina superheroes are rare in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film will also acknowledge that the character is gay, just like the comics, according to sources.
Banned in Gulf countries
Despite the praise from fans, 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' is banned in Saudi Arabia over the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ character. Homosexuality is illegal in a number of Gulf countries, leading 'Doctor Strange' to just be the latest film to be banned. This is also the latest Marvel Studios project to be banned in the Gulf as 'Eternals' met a similar fate in 2021. Chloé Zhao's film was banned in much of the Gulf in November due to the presence of a same-gender relationship and MCU's first homosexual superhero in the film. 'West Side Story' was also banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait in January. Currently, advance tickets for 'Doctor Strange 2' are no longer available on cinema websites in Saudi, Kuwait, and Qatar. However, early tickets can still be bought in the United Arab Emirates, suggesting 'Doctor Strange 2' might still release in theaters there.
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' will release on May 6.