Doctor Strange 2: Who Is America Chavez? Powers & Origins Explained

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Doctor Strange 2: Who Is America Chavez? Powers & Origins Explained

Marvel's Ms. America will reportedly appear in Doctor Strange 2 - so here's everything you need to know about the Multiverse's champion.

Here's everything you need to know about America Chavez, the new superhero reportedly set to make her MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The last decade has seen Marvel become one of the dominant forces in Hollywood, but the studio is not without its critics. One major issue has been the notable lack of diversity, and although things are improving, Marvel still has a long way to go. Still, president Kevin Feige clearly believes diversity should be the gold standard going forward, and he's promised there will be out LGBTQ characters in the MCU.

One example may be America Chavez, long rumored to be set to appear in Doctor Strange 2. Back in January 2020, there were reports Marvel was looking to cast a "teenage Hispanic female" for a supporting lead role, prompting immediate speculation she could be America Chavez. Months later, a leaked casting grid supported this, suggesting the MCU's America Chavez would be a Puerto Rican between the ages of 12 and 15 years old - slightly younger than the comics. Teenage actress Xochitl Gomez - best known for Netflix's The Baby-Sitters Club - has recently joined the cast of Doctor Strange 2, and she'd roughly fit the bill.

It would certainly be fascinating to see America Chavez join the MCU, but she's a lot less well-known than previous MCU superstars like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain America. So who is the MCU's potential new powerhouse?

Who Is America Chavez?

America Chavez is one of the Multiverse's greatest champions, originating from a mysterious dimension called the "Utopian Parallel." That realm was dominated by the Demiurge, one of the mystical architects of creation; because Ms. America grew up in the Demiurge's presence, she absorbed its ambient mystical power and thus became one of the most powerful beings in the entire Multiverse. Chavez desired to prove her heroism, and so began bouncing around the Multiverse, visiting world after world. She first appeared in the mainstream Marvel Universe when she joined the Teen Brigade and enjoyed a brief fling with the team leader, the Ultimate Nullifier. She later admitted this was just an experiment, and she identifies as a lesbian.

In the comics, Ms. America has been at the center of many of the most important Multiversal stories. She was tricked by Loki into joining the Young Avengers in order to protect Wiccan, a young sorcerer destined to actually become the Demiurge itself. When the Multiverse collapsed in 2015's "Secret Wars," she found herself a resident of Arcadia, a paradisiacal realm on Battleworld that was ruled entirely by women. When the Multiverse was restored, America became part of a new cosmic team called the Ultimates, who were unwittingly battling to preserve all of creation.

America Chavez Powers Explained

Ms. America is easily one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel Multiverse, with Loki describing her as "a nearly indestructible woman who can throw tanks at the Moon." She can tap into the ambient energy of creation to boost her own physical powers, and consequently, she's been able to trade blows with Asgardians and neutralize cosmic entities with apparent ease. Most intriguing of all, America Chavez is one of the few heroes who can traverse the Multiverse at will, opening star-shaped portals between the dimensions. There do seem to be limits to this ability - she couldn't jump out of a realm called the Sixth Dimension, specifically - but those are not clearly defined.

Like many of Marvel's cosmic heroes, Ms. America has a gift called "Cosmic Awareness." That means she can sense disruptions in space and time and is inevitably drawn to the greatest cosmic events. While America shares this power with the likes of Thor and the Silver Surfer, her cosmic awareness seems to be heightened, because she uses it to navigate the Multiverse. She's jokingly referred to this as a Multiversal GPS.

Why America Chavez's Powers Suit Doctor Strange 2

Marvel subtly introduced the Multiverse in the Thor films, and committed to it in Avengers: Endgame, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes began creating parallel dimensions due to time travel. It's clearly going to be crucial in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with its title neatly explaining why America Chavez is likely to be drawn to the MCU. Whatever Doctor Strange is dealing with, it's likely to be just the kind of event Ms. America would sense with her cosmic awareness.

Scarlet Witch is confirmed to appear in Doctor Strange 2 as well, and that creates another intriguing link. In the comics, Wanda Maximoff wields a power called "Chaos Magic," which affects the nature of reality itself. Assuming the MCU is about to explore the same idea, America Chavez would be crucial. Several of her stories have seen Ms. America drawn to sites of Multiversal anarchy, where she fought to preserve the balance between chaos and order, although she didn't always quite understand how things were playing out.

What To Expect In Doctor Strange 2 From America Chavez

Little is know about the plot of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, meaning it's quite difficult to predict America Chavez's precise role. She could easily serve as a bruiser, helping Doctor Strange take on threats even the Sorcerer Supreme would struggle to defeat; in the comics, America has successfully beaten down some pretty powerful mystical entities. Alternatively, her cosmic GPS could well meant Ms. America is a tour guide through the Multiverse, helping Doctor Strange navigate the Multiverse of Madness.

There's been some speculation Doctor Strange 2 will draw upon the popular "House of M" event for inspiration. That may explain why the MCU's Ms. America is younger than her comic book counterpart; in "House of M" a young girl named Layla Miller was the only one whose perception of reality was not warped by Scarlet Witch's power, and she helped the Avengers break out of the spell. It's possible Ms. America will play a similar role, drawn into an artificial reality created by Scarlet Witch but unaffected by it, and helping Doctor Strange restore the Multiverse to a state of order in Doctor Strange 2.