Xochitl Gomez believes that landing the role of America Chavez in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has proven to be a "gift and a curse."
Though Gomez has booked a few acting gigs since, her big-screen work has been limited, and the young actress believes this is partially down to the assumption that she has either now become too expensive to hire, or that she would be unavailable due to her potentially being busy filming further Marvel appearances.
"After [Doctor Strange], I had a hard time getting roles," Gomez tells Bustle. "They were like, 'She's too expensive. What if she's in this and that, her schedule?' And I'm like, 'Guys...'
"It was a gift and a curse," she continued, "because I was like, 'Wait, I want to do the cool indie movies. Give me a chance, guys.'"
When Gomez, who is of Mexican descent, was cast as Chavez, she was faced with a certain amount of online abuse, but the trolls really turned it up a notch when it came to light that America refers to her "two moms" during a flashback (Chavez is gay in the comics, but the movie doesn't actually address the character's sexuality).
While speaking to The Wrap in a 2024 interview, Gomez was asked about the elements of toxic fandom she's experienced since joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and revealed that she recently met up with Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani for dinner, where they bonded "over being young, brown girls in the MCU and what that means"
"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," Gomez continued. "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."
Since Gomez has the power to punch her way through the Multiverse, fans have wondered why the character hasn't been utilized (or even mentioned) in the MCU since the Doctor Strange sequel. Is there a chance she'll be back for Avengers: Doomsday?
"Well, they own the rights to my image, so it's possible," she responded when asked if we'll be seeing her in the movie.
Doesn't seem likely!