Who Is That New Hero In The Doctor Strange 2 Trailer? America Chavez Explained
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow, fans keep their eyes peeled for certain heroes to make the leap from page to screen. Sometimes, these are fan-favorite characters like Spider-Man or Kate Bishop. Other times it's deep cuts like Pip the Troll showing up in the "Eternals" post-credits scene or Howard the Duck making a tiny appearance in that massive battle in "Avengers: Endgame." With 80 years' worth of material, there's no shortage of characters who could potentially lead their own television series or feature film.
This tradition continues with "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Although much attention has been made of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme joining forces with the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and meeting a darker version of himself, the trailers and merchandise have also revealed that America Chavez will play a role in the dimension-hopping adventure. Let's take a closer look into who this character is and what her presence could mean for the MCU.
America Chavez's Comic Book Origins
First appearing in the "Vengeance" miniseries by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta, Chavez rose to prominence during Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's "Young Avengers" run. In the comics, America was raised by her mothers on a plane of reality known as the Utopian Parallel and gained superpowers as a result. But it turned out that origin story was a lie: in truth, her mothers were trying to save her from a fatal disease and seemingly died in an explosion, leading to her coming up with a false origin story to reconcile the trauma. She later joined the Young Avengers, as well as the female team of Avengers known as A-Force and the Ultimates.
Chavez possesses superhuman strength and durability, and the ability to open star-shaped portals to other worlds. She accesses these portals by literally punching or kicking the walls of reality; the ability to travel through dimensions has also granted her superhuman speed.
The Big Picture
America's presence in "Multiverse of Madness" does raise a few questions: Is she looking for Strange's help? Is the main plot of the film connected to her story, and if so, how exactly does she factor in? But given her ability to traverse dimensions, she could prove to be a great ally to the Doctor, and potentially a younger generation of heroes.
As mentioned before, America is best known for her tenure with the Young Avengers. So far, many of the Disney+ Marvel Studios series have introduced members of the Young Avengers: Kate Bishop in "Hawkeye;" Tommy and Billy Maximoff, better known as Speed and Wiccan, respectively, in "WandaVision;" kid Loki in "Loki;" and Eli Bradley/Patriot in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." The trend seems to be continuing in the movies with America here, and with Kathryn Newton now slated to play Scott Lang's daughter, Cassie, in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." We could be seeing the Young Avengers sooner than we think.