Xochitl Gomez Reveals The Most Important Change To America Chavez In Doctor Strange 2

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" brings some fan-favorite characters back to the MCU, like the obvious titular hero and everyone's favorite sidekick Wong (Benedict Wong). A character we haven't seen in years is also making their way back into the cinematic universe as Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) is back six years since we last saw her. But perhaps what moviegoers are most excited about are the newcomers the film will introduce.

One newbie we know for sure is America Chavez, aka Miss America. The Latina superhero debuted in 2011's "Vengeance #1" and has nearly every superhuman power you can think of. Her most important ability might be that she can travel through the multiverse by slamming her foot on the ground and opening a star-shaped portal. We fully expect to see this in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and many of her other exciting abilities. However, there will be one big difference between the America Chavez from Marvel Comics and the one we'll see on the big screen played by MCU newcomer Xochitl Gomez.

At a press event for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," for which Looper was present, Xochitl Gomez happily discussed her character, America Chavez. It turns out, the America we see in the film is just 14-years-old, while the America from the comics is 18-years-old (per CNN). "I wanted to make sure that America still had that youthfulness and still had that fake-it-til-you-make-it resilience," Gomez said during the presser. "She is 14, which is younger than she was in any of the comics. That really helps in writing a new introduction which I think [writer] Michael Waldron did beautifully."

The mid to late teens are major transformative years, so it's helpful to have a younger America in the MCU so we can see her change throughout her tenure on screen. Gomez spoke with Marvel just a few days before the press event and dove a little further into why that 14-year-old age mark is so important. "You can definitely see the beginning stages of what future America might become," she told the outlet. "I took stuff that was in the comics and kind of lightened it up since she's less experienced. She's younger than any of her known appearances in the comics, and I think you can see that. It was a fun challenge exploring what a younger and less experienced America might be, but also hinting towards the serious leader she would soon become. I wanted to keep that kid energy and a little bit of that fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence."

We have another young talented MCU hero on our hands, hopefully suggesting a "Young Avengers" storyline in the near future.