Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez is set to make her MCU debut with the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She will join Strange, Wanda, and others in their dangerous and life-threatening adventure through the multiverse. However, The Hollywood Reporter reports that the character was earlier a part of the No Way Home ensemble besides Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange.
In the movie, it would have been Chavez to assist the three Spider-Men in their quest to cure the multiversal villains, using her magical powers to open portals, just the way Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds did in the final cut of the film. In the movie, Ned gets his hands on the sling ring that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker steals from Strange. Ned then uses the ring to open portals in order to find Peter after his battle with the Green Goblin and the death of his Aunt May. However, both the times, he opens up portals to the wrong Peter(s), eventually becoming the key to the introduction of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Batalon’s newfound magic powers also came in handy in the final showdown at the Statue of Liberty, during which, Strange gave Ned a curious nod on his ability to open the portals. However, it could have been America Chavez to do so if the original plans had worked out, which recently were revealed in a concept art image.
Marvel’s Changes in the Release Slate Changed Plans
Disney
Earlier, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was supposed to release before Spider-Man: No Way Home, while Gomez’s Chavez was confirmed to make her debut in the former. If that had worked out, Chavez’s appearance in No Way Home would have made sense, whereas Marvel would already have explained her origins in Multiverse of Madness. But, once the plans for Multiverse of Madness changed, Marvel probably decided to cut Chavez’s appearance from No Way Home. Multiverse of Madness was further delayed again to its current release date owing to reshoots, thus, leading to Gomez’s role in the movie cut out.
However, looks like plans for No Way Home eventually worked out because people loved and appreciated Jacob Batalon’s more significant role in the movie. His ability to do magic also opened up chances for his character to take a mystical turn in the future and the references to Hobgoblin teased Leeds’ transition into the villain as well.
Earlier during her red carpet walk at Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiere, Gomez, talked about her excitement to play Chavez and join the MCU. She said,
"Well, I can't say too much – especially since Kevin [Feige] is like right there; But what I can say is that I'm very excited for the movie [Doctor Strange 2] to come out, and I'm just really excited for people to see my work on screen. I mean I really put so much work into it and I'm really, really, so proud of it. And I'm just excited for it to come out. I'm just excited to be here, number one! And I'm such a fan of Marvel in general so being here is just like... I'm just shaking being here and being invited, ah!"
Marvel Studios perfected Ned’s knack for magical powers really well in the Spider-Man threequel, and now Gomez has the perfect opportunity to make her glam debut in the Marvel Multiverse with Multiverse of Madness, bringing severe changes in the MCU continuity.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases on May 6, 2022. Directed by Sam Raimi and Written by Michael Waldron, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, and Patrick Stewart.