There’s no denying the incredible impact Latines will have in the superhero genre in the foreseeable future. From Xolo Maridueña starring in Marvel’s Blue Beetle to Sasha Calle playing Supergirl in DC’s The Flash, there’s no corner of any cinematic or extended universe that won’t be affected by Latine talent in years to come.
Included in the ever-growing list of Latine actors in these tentpole superhero movies is Xochitl Gomez, who will portray America Chavez, AKA Miss America, in the sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which hits theaters May 6.
During a recent interview with SyFy Wire, Joe Casey, who co-created Miss America with Nick Dragotta, said it was important for films to keep diversity in mind when developing the worlds depicted in the superhero genre.
“Our reality…is obviously multicultural, [so] our superheroes should be, too,” Casey said. “Marvel characters like America Chavez and Miles Morales and Kamala Khan have become vitally important to a large section of fandom that sees a lot of themselves in them. With America Chavez, in particular, there’s a real connection there that really seems to transcend the comics. Hopefully, the moviegoing audience will make that same kind of connection when they see America Chavez in the Doctor Strange flick.”
Casey said he looks forward to watching Gomez play Miss America and is “rooting for her” to own the role. “Just to see her alongside an iconic character like Doctor Strange is extremely cool,” Casey said. “That’s one of the main reasons why I created her in the first place, so she could stand next to the other Marvel heroes – the heavy hitters like Iron Man and Captain America – and for it to feel like she belonged there.”
With Xochitl Gomez sporting the red, white, and blue in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we don’t think anyone doubts that she does.