Nearly a year after making her franchise debut, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ America Chavez actor Xochitl Gomez is reflecting on the toxic Marvel Cinematic Universe fan backlash. Chavez appeared in the MCU sequel as she sought out help from Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular sorcerer to protect her from Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, who is hunting her down in order to consume her multiverse-hopping abilities to find a universe to live with her sons after the events of WandaVision. Though a commercial smash and highly anticipated leading up to its release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was met with a more divided response from critics and audiences alike, who praised Raimi’s direction and Olsen’s performance, while its overstuffed plot drew much criticism.
In a recent interview with The Wrap, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ America actor Xochitl Gomez looked back on her time in the MCU thus far, including some of the more negative elements, namely toxic MCU fan backlash. Gomez revealed she had met with Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani for a dinner, where they bonded “over being young, brown girls in the MCU and what that means“, and how this helped them both move on and grow from the negative corners of the fandom. See what Gomez shared below:
It was just nice to be able to have these shared experiences that made me feel like, OK, I’m not the only one. And especially with harassment and haters and stuff, and being able to be like, ‘OK, it’s not just me, this happens to you, it happens to a few other people as well.’ But it’s like, sometimes, when it’s in the moment, you forget, and it just becomes like this thing of like, ‘What is going on to me?’ And it’s just so much worse for brown people. Because there’s layers of racism, and it’s just, it’s tough. And so being able to talk to [Iman] and be like, ‘You’re not the only one,’ and being able to show my support, and being able to kind of take her out to dinner, and be able to take her mind off it, be able to like release it all. And then afterwards, being able to laugh and just be like, ‘Look at the conversation we just had!’ Look at that, we’re laughing, and it’s great.
America & Ms. Marvel’s MCU Futures Explained
Much like America before her, Iman Vellani became the target of many toxic trolls online upon Ms. Marvel‘s release, with many lambasting the show for being both too childish and “woke” for centering on a Pakistani-American character and her culture, though some lesser toxic viewers took issue with the film’s changes to Kamala Khan’s origins. Vellani ultimately had the last laugh, however, as Ms. Marvel scored widespread acclaim from critics for its authentic representation of the American Muslim community, Vellani’s lead performance and a fresh change of pace from other MCU titles. Sitting at a 98 percent “Certified Fresh” approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Ms. Marvel also went on to become the highest-reviewed MCU Disney+ show to date.
Though the two stars may have received plenty of toxic fan backlash at the time of their debuts, America and Kamala’s MCU futures are looking plenty bright. Vellani’s Ms. Marvel is already gearing up to make her return with this year’s The Marvels, in which she will team up with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau as they begin swapping places with one another all around the galaxy. The trio will also find themselves going against an undisclosed villain played by Velvet Buzzsaw‘s Zawe Ashton, whose identity is sure to be revealed sometime in the next month or so leading up to the film’s July release.
While she doesn’t have any confirmed future appearances at the time of writing, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was only expected to be the start of America’s MCU tenure. Considering the franchise is still relatively early into The Multiverse Saga, it seems difficult to believe a character with the power to hop between multiple universes would remain on the sidelines, and with the MCU also seemingly building towards the Young Avengers, of which America is a part in the comics, there are a number of avenues for her to return with. In the meantime, audiences can revisit Gomez and America’s MCU debuts with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness streaming on Disney+ now.
Source: The Wrap