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Will America Chavez Be Gay in New Doctor Strange? Merch Suggests Yes
She's a lesbian in the comics, but fans have been nervous about her film counterpart.
The big screen debut of America Chavez is one queer Marvel fans have been waiting for a long time. And new merch suggests the Marvel Cinematic Universe may actually embrace her canonical queerness.
An official Marvel brand shirt for sale on Amazon labeled as “Marvel Doctor Strange 2 America Chavez Costume Premium T-Shirt” features an image of America’s denim jacket, complete with “amor es amor” (love is love) written next to a small rainbow flag pin.
America is set to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness this May, and will be played by Xochitl Gomez. Very little is known as of yet about how her character will be adapted for the MCU or what role she’ll play in Doctor Strange’s quest to overcome an alternate version of himself after he opens the door to the multiverse.
But in the comics, America is an out and proud lesbian, secretly from another planet, and an integral member of the Young Avengers.
None— MCU - The Direct (@MCU - The Direct) 1641324941
Marvel’s dragging their feet over the years at including any LGBTQ+ representation in the cinematic universe has left fans frustrated and nervous now that canonically queer characters are slowly being pulled onto the big screen, but including even a small rainbow flag pin on a t-shirt design is leaving some folks hoping for the best.
\u201cAmerica Chavez says GAY RIGHTS\n#MultiverseOfMadness #DoctorStrange2\u201d— \ud83d\udc3eThe name is Captain Silver \ud83d\udc3e (@\ud83d\udc3eThe name is Captain Silver \ud83d\udc3e) 1641394825
\u201c@MCU_Direct As she should! just a matter of timing for Kate Bishop and America Chavez to cross paths \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9c\u201d— MCU - The Direct (@MCU - The Direct) 1641324941
\u201cpeople being surprised at rumours of gay shit in multiverse like we didn't see america chavez like four times in that trailer you really think america can be contained? of course there's gonna be gay shit\u201d— lil meow meow (@lil meow meow) 1641366883
\u201cit\u2019ll be fun when multiverse of madness comes out, people find out who America Chavez is, and start to get upset because she\u2019s hispanic and gay\u201d— L. \u0295\u00b4\u2022\u1d25 \u2022`\u0294 (@L. \u0295\u00b4\u2022\u1d25 \u2022`\u0294) 1641289093
Others remain hesitant, based on the way big studio releases usually handle (or fail to handle) inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters.
“I’ve seen enough of these movies to know they’re gonna hype up her sexuality and then the pin is gonna be the only mention in the movie,” @wraithofmoon wrote.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is finally slated for release on May 6, after a number of delays (thanks, COVID!), so we’ll see for ourselves how the movie addresses America’s sexuality soon enough.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
