Kristina Garcia
Sat, May 7, 2022
Marvel executive Victoria Alonso, left, and America Chavez actor Xochitl Gomez, center, speak from the El Capitan stage at the premiere of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
With her witty humor, charm and fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence, the character of America Chavez in the latest "Doctor Strange" franchise film is already stealing hearts as an LGBTQ and Latinx addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Played by Xochitl Gomez, America tries to defeat an unexpected evil in the new Sam Raimi-directed “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” At the Thursday premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, fans arrived dressed in Scarlet Witch crowns, magical cloaks, "WandaVision"-inspired cosplay and the occasional Spider-Man suit — but it was America who left the biggest impression.
“I feel empowered and inspired by characters like her," audience member Lance Parilla said, adding that he planned on watching the movie again the next day. "It's not just because of her heritage as a Latina, but also what she represents: She represents not just me, but my fellow LGBTQs.”
People gather outside the El Capitan Theater for the first screening of "Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness." (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Fans watch actor Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," introduce the film. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Fans tour an exhibit of costumes from the film before the first screening. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Many others apparently agree. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" started the weekend with $90 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales by end of day Friday, according to studio estimates, plus $139.3 million internationally. The $90 million was enough to be the seventh biggest domestic opening day in history.
At the Thursday premiere, Gomez appeared on the El Capitan stage, as did Victoria Alonso, president of physical and post-production, visual effects and animation production at Marvel Studios.
“It’s been very well known [that] I don’t like superheroes,” Alonso said sarcastically to the audience. “But what I do love is what they mean to you.”
For Megan Hill, who came to watch as an early 13th birthday gift, a Latina who identifies with the LGBTQ community is the kind of representation she’s been searching for.
“She's a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and a lot of people are hating on her. But I'm a part of that, and I think that's amazing,” Megan said. “For her to be a main character, I think is just great. Because a lot of young girls will definitely look up to her. And I know it's something I've been missing my entire life. And I'm just happy now that I get it.”
Megan Hill, 12. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Saudi Arabia was among the countries that have banned the “Doctor Strange" sequel because of its queer character, and Gomez — whose multiverse-traveling teen sits at the center of the movie — has been harassed on social media.
In the face of that negativity, the premiere drew supporters including John Ramirez, who cosplayed as Doctor Strange and who at the start of the pandemic in 2020 used El Capitan’s marquee to propose to his now-wife.
“It's great that everybody gets representation, because I just think that that's how movies always should be. We should all be included,” Ramirez said. “I did hear about her scene with her parents and stuff on screen and how that was sort of an issue. … I'm glad that it was done really good justice.”
The USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative surveyed 1,300 top box office films from 2007 to 2019, analyzing the inclusion of Hispanic/Latino characters and persons on screen and behind the camera. In 2019, only 7% of films cast a Hispanic/Latino lead or co-lead actor. Across the 13-year span of the survey, the number dropped to 3.5%.
The character of America resists stereotypes — the spicy Latina, the gangster, the housekeeper. El Capitan moviegoers noted America’s authenticity and how her character came off as the typical kid who lives down the block.
Moviegoer Jessie Abarques. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“I really actually believed she was just a kid off the street,” said moviegoer Jessie Abarques, who added that Gomez had "the whole aura down."
Jazmin Sedano, 18, arrived at the premiere head to toe in her Scarlet Witch costume, accompanied by her mother and her little brother, who dressed as Spider-Man — because Spider-Man was “the one who broke the multiverse,” after all.
Sedano pointed out how America switched languages throughout the film.
“Especially for Marvel, I love how they still put in Mexican culture, so she says some words in Spanish," Sedano said. "And it's like how when we get mad or a little bit anxious, we switch to Spanish. So I feel like that was really cool."
Jazmin Sedano, 18, said she liked the inclusion of some Spanish in the new movie. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Scarlet Witch cosplayer Karin Worley was drawn not just to America's personality, character and superpowers, but also to the parallels with the Marvel character of Wanda Maximoff.
“Wanda probably would be in a much different place if someone had actually taken the time to believe in her," Worley said. Every time someone loves Wanda, that person gets taken away, she said. "It's kind of just wild seeing the parallels between the two of them, because in a different world, they could have been each other.”
Moviegoer and cosplayer Karin Worley, 23, at the El Capitan Theatre on Thursday. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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