Kevin Feige Speaks on America Chavez, Marvel's New LGBTQ+ Hero

As the release date for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness approaches, Marvel‘s head honcho Kevin Feige has revealed additional information on Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez character.

America Chavez, who is a teenager with a unique power that allows her to open star-portal doorways to reach alternate dimensions, will be introduced into the MCU in the upcoming film. The character was first introduced in December 2020 and has since become a prominent member of the storyline. Marvel has also confirmed that the character will maintain her LGBTQ status from the comics. Both Feige and Cumberbatch have strongly backed the idea of keeping Chavez’s two moms.

The Direct reported in the most recent press conference, Feige answered a question from Tania Lambs that asked how important it is for Marvel to address the LGBTQ+ status of Chavez in a meaningful way,

“It’s important, as we always say, that these films present the world as it is, and the world outside your window, as they used to say in publishing. That aspect of America’s character is from the comics. We always want to adapt them as well and as truthfully as we can.”

Feige also confirmed that while Chavez’s LGBTQ+ status is integral to her character, she is not solely defined by this one factor,

“I think when people see the movie, much like it is in life, it is not any one thing that defines any one character. As Xochitl said, she’s a 14-year-old girl figuring out this very traumatic element of her life, which is not the LGBTQ issue, it’s the fact that she keeps being tossed around the Multiverse multiple, multiple times. Being truthful to that and showcasing that, and that is not what the movie is about, but it is an important part of the character she becomes in the comics. We wanted to touch upon that.”

Elsewhere in entertainment, DC Comics has reportedly canceled Wonder Twins film.